The Clam – Reviewed
This is one of those times I wish I lived on the Upper East Side. Ever since Simply Peeled opened a few weeks ago, I want to move. (I’m only half-kidding.) The Upper East Side has just become home to a unique, new frozen dessert so delicious it may have the downtown set breaking their “no traveling north of 14th street rule.” Now, I’ve been smitten with Mister Softee and his vanilla soft serve since I was a kid. If there’s no truck in sight, I’ll cop to ducking into Pinkberry for tart frozen yogurt on occasion. But I really never thought frozen fruit could be so downright addictive. Simply Peeled serves soft-serve frozen fruit with the silky, smooth texture of soft ice cream and the clean, crisp flavor of fruit. It’s called Fruizo and it’s creamy, light and...
Read More
New York Sushi Ko – Reviewed
This is one of those times I wish I lived on the Upper East Side. Ever since Simply Peeled opened a few weeks ago, I want to move. (I’m only half-kidding.) The Upper East Side has just become home to a unique, new frozen dessert so delicious it may have the downtown set breaking their “no traveling north of 14th street rule.” Now, I’ve been smitten with Mister Softee and his vanilla soft serve since I was a kid. If there’s no truck in sight, I’ll cop to ducking into Pinkberry for tart frozen yogurt on occasion. But I really never thought frozen fruit could be so downright addictive. Simply Peeled serves soft-serve frozen fruit with the silky, smooth texture of soft ice cream and the clean, crisp flavor of fruit. It’s called Fruizo and it’s creamy, light and...
Read More
Manhattan Restaurants To Try in 2014
It’s always a daunting task to pinpoint our favorite restaurants at the end of each year. But 2013 brought in such an unprecedented slew of truly notable openings that we couldn’t even contain our borough-wide picks in one single list… so we didn’t. Did you not get the memo about surprise success, Piora and its Korean-Italian mashup menu (we swear it’s delicious), or Richard Kuo’s new hip Bowery spot, Pearl & Ash and its killer drinks? How about New York Sushi Ko and its blow your mind omakase? No problem. Here’s our top ten to put on your must-try list for 2014…
Read More
Best New Brooklyn & Queens Restaurants for 2013
2013 was an absolute banner year for Manhattan restaurants… it seemed like practically every week there was yet another place that we absolutely had to try. But that doesn’t mean that things weren’t every bit as exciting outside of the island. So without further ado, here’s a roundup of our favorite new outer-borough eateries, from The Elm, Luksus, and Whiskey Soda Lounge in Brooklyn to Bun-ker, MP Taverna and M. Wells Steakhouse in Queens…
Read More
Rotisserie Georgette – Reviewed
God knows New York could always use a few more great restaurants north of 57th Street on the east side. I know, I know; solid progress has been made over the years (The Mark, Salumeria Rosi, & The East Pole), but nonetheless there remains a culinary no man’s land between uptown and midtown. Aside from Fred’s at Barney’s, Rouge Tomate and the famously overpriced Nello, there ain’t a lot of choices. But things have been looking up since Rotisserie Georgette flung open its doors on 60th Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues. Who would have thought you could get a killer Roast Chicken in these parts? Or better yet, a Roast Chicken for Two…
Read More
Skal – Reviewed
This is one of those times I wish I lived on the Upper East Side. Ever since Simply Peeled opened a few weeks ago, I want to move. (I’m only half-kidding.) The Upper East Side has just become home to a unique, new frozen dessert so delicious it may have the downtown set breaking their “no traveling north of 14th street rule.” Now, I’ve been smitten with Mister Softee and his vanilla soft serve since I was a kid. If there’s no truck in sight, I’ll cop to ducking into Pinkberry for tart frozen yogurt on occasion. But I really never thought frozen fruit could be so downright addictive. Simply Peeled serves soft-serve frozen fruit with the silky, smooth texture of soft ice cream and the clean, crisp flavor of fruit. It’s called Fruizo and it’s creamy, light and...
Read More
Toro – Reviewed
This is one of those times I wish I lived on the Upper East Side. Ever since Simply Peeled opened a few weeks ago, I want to move. (I’m only half-kidding.) The Upper East Side has just become home to a unique, new frozen dessert so delicious it may have the downtown set breaking their “no traveling north of 14th street rule.” Now, I’ve been smitten with Mister Softee and his vanilla soft serve since I was a kid. If there’s no truck in sight, I’ll cop to ducking into Pinkberry for tart frozen yogurt on occasion. But I really never thought frozen fruit could be so downright addictive. Simply Peeled serves soft-serve frozen fruit with the silky, smooth texture of soft ice cream and the clean, crisp flavor of fruit. It’s called Fruizo and it’s creamy, light and...
Read More
Piora – Reviewed
It ain’t often a chef comes out of nowhere and knocks your socks off. But when it happens, it reminds you exactly why you love eating out in the first place. I didn’t expect to find chicken skin crumbled over an appetizer of Scallops and Corn (the last of the season) at Piora, a new restaurant in the West Village. The scallops are pan-seared and plated over corn kernels, chanterelles, and an aerated corn puree, a sweet, ethereal last glimpse of summer. But I digress from the chicken skin. It’s laced with fennel pollen and crumbled over the dish, lending an umami-like depth to an otherwise, delicate scallop and corn combination. Lest I forget the black and white sesame seeds sprinkled over the top for nuttiness. One bite and you realize something exciting is going on in the kitchen…
Read More
The Best New Restaurants of Summer 2013
Summer tends to be slow season for buzzy restaurant debuts, but New York sure had a bumper crop of notable openings this year. Here are a few of our favorite new additions to the dining scene, from Michael White’s Costata in SoHo to Paul Liebrandt’s The Elm in Brooklyn and even Bunker, a Vietnamese eatery from an Eleven Madison Park alum in Queens!
Read More
Costata – Reviewed
How sweet it is! I bet that’s what Michael White is thinking right about now. How many chefs get to return to the very same space where they were once a young chef struggling to make a name for himself and come back as an owner with a legion of successful restaurants to show for himself? That about sums up the story of Costata. Anyone remember Fiamma, BR Guest’s upscale Italian, located in a townhouse on Spring Street just off Sixth Avenue? Michael White got his start in Fiamma’s kitchen. Over a dozen restaurants and eleven years later, White has returned to the former Fiamma space with an Italian steakhouse all his own called Costata, which means rib eye in Italian.
Read More
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.
Read More
Restaurant Spotting: Antica Pesa
This is one of those times I wish I lived on the Upper East Side. Ever since Simply Peeled opened a few weeks ago, I want to move. (I’m only half-kidding.) The Upper East Side has just become home to a unique, new frozen dessert so delicious it may have the downtown set breaking their “no traveling north of 14th street rule.” Now, I’ve been smitten with Mister Softee and his vanilla soft serve since I was a kid. If there’s no truck in sight, I’ll cop to ducking into Pinkberry for tart frozen yogurt on occasion. But I really never thought frozen fruit could be so downright addictive. Simply Peeled serves soft-serve frozen fruit with the silky, smooth texture of soft ice cream and the clean, crisp flavor of fruit. It’s called Fruizo and it’s creamy, light and...
Read More
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.
Read More
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.
Read More
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...
Read More
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...
Read More
Louro
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...
Read More
Talde
Did Talde really open less than a year ago? We feel like we’ve been singing the praises of Pretzel Pork and Chive Potstickers, Korean Fried Chicken, and Crispy Oyster and Bacon Pad Thai for as long as we can remember. And the dinner crowds haven’t even remotely thinned since last January, when chef/owner Dale Talde first introduced his Saigon Crepes, Whole Roasted Branzino in Banana Leaves, and Hawaiian Bread Buns. It’s a testament that—even though he was told to pack his knives and go (twice) on Bravo’s reality show, Top Chef—he’s sure to be a fixture on NYC’s dining scene for many years to...
Read More
Empellón Cocina
After exhibiting a few growing pains at his often hit-or-miss gourmet taco shop, Empellón Taqueria, former pastry chef Alex Stupak presented a fully realized vision of high-flying Mexican food at Empellón Cocina this year. An excellent starter of Pistachio Guacamole (why has no one ever thought of this before?) comes sided with a heap of masa crisps, Fried Whitbait makes a tasty appearance in fish tacos, topped with a smear of sprightly key lime mayo, and a Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder is like an elevated mash-up of homey, regional Mexican favorites, accented with masa gnocchi, radishes, and pozole...
Read More
North End Grill
2012 marked the welcome return of chef Floyd Cardoz, whose spice-inflected flavors have been sorely missed since Tabla shuttered two years prior. And while North End Grill‘s menu is grounded in New American, local/seasonal fare (Lancaster Veal Chop with chanterelles, Hudson Valley Foie Gras risotto omelette), you can still find a few welcome homages to his native Bombay. We love the Fricassee of Wild Mushrooms with “Upma Polenta,” and an Elysian Fields Lamb Loin served with baby carrots, turnips, and Indian apricot...
Read MoreCheck out My Book – Try This
