Bonnie from BiteoftheBest.com

About Bonnie Tandy Leblang

Blogger Bonnie Tandy Leblang has been covering food since before it was hip to do so! She’s penned magazine, newspaper and syndicated food columns in addition to cookbooks. Follow her on twitter @BonnieBOTB and on Instagram@BiteoftheBest and at @BonnieBOTB "I eat for a living!” is her mantra, sharing what she’s sampled so you’ll know where (or where not) to go, plus what food products and gadgets to try. For her full bio go to the about us page.
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Opening Dim Sum Palace, Long Island City, Queens, NYC

When heading out of my usual stomping ground, I love it when the subway is conveniently located on the same block as the restaurant, as it was for the grand opening preview of the Dim Sum Palace on Jackson Avenue in Long Island City. There, we sampled their celebrated dim sum and Cantonese specialties. Dim Sum Palace is a family-run restaurant group founded in 2016, known for its authentic Cantonese cuisine and dim sum. The Long Island City location is their tenth in the city, the first one in Queens. Their menu features a wide array of dim sum that we sampled, along with some other classic dishes. Some of [...]

By |2025-07-27T07:37:04-04:00August 5th, 2025|NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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***Happy Hour Creatures Rooftop, Chelsea, NYC

The entrance to Creatures Rooftop inside the Hotel Almeda High Line is far west on 27th Street, between 9th and 10th Avenue. We were invited to sample their Happy Hour fare. The first thing I noticed as we exited the elevator was the spectacular views, including the Empire State Building to the East, the Hudson River to the West, and the Edge, the Hudson Yards observation deck. (The perspective is off in this panorama!) Next, their hospitable team, including our attentive hostess, Jemis, took care of us. They're well-trained in service, meeting our needs and those of other guests. I always admire that. I started with my summer drink, a [...]

By |2025-08-02T06:47:44-04:00August 2nd, 2025|Happy Hours, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Prosciutto di Carpegna PDO

Earlier this summer, I stopped by a press party for Prosciutto di Carpegna PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) outside of Eataly that was part of the "The EU Gem Ham: Prosciutto di Carpegna PDO campaign co-funded by the European Union." It's prosciutto, aged 20 months, produced exclusively in Italy’s Le Marche region. As with Prosciutto di Parma, this prosciutto is made according to a centuries-old method dating back to the Middle Ages. Its deep, rich flavors make it delicious on its own and a wonderful component in a wide range of dishes. At the party, J Sean, the bartender, introduced me to a Bergamot spritz with that eponymous liquor instead of Aperol, Prosecco [...]

By |2025-07-31T12:32:26-04:00July 30th, 2025|Food & Drinks, Recommended|0 Comments
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Malibu Farms, South Street Seaport, NYC

Our ex-expat group spent the morning taking a tour with historian extraordinaire Kevin Draper, who provides outings through his company, New York Historical Tours, as we had done numerous times before. This time, we visited the history-rich South Street Seaport. After our tour, we stopped by Malibu Farms, a reasonably priced dining option in South Street Seaport. It features an organic farm-to-table menu with waterfront views, located right next to Jean-George's The Fulton. The hit of the lunch was the poke bowls, both the Surfer's with crudo salmon and the Swimmer's with tuna crudo ($24) ($28). Each came with brown rice, sliced avocado, marinated cucumbers, a wakame salad, and some sprouts [...]

By |2025-07-27T08:01:28-04:00July 27th, 2025|Big Apple Life, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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$22 Weekend Brunch at Mama Mia, Theatre District, NYC + Sunset Boulevard

I'm always on the lookout for deals with good food and decent service. During my research, I discovered a $21.99-weekend brunch deal including a cocktail in the theatre district, on the street where we were seeing Andrew Lloyd Webber's fabulous Sunset Boulevard featuring Tony Award winner Nicole Scherzinger, plus Tom Francis, who, during the performance, walked through the streets belting out “Sunset Boulevard, ruthless boulevard..." Mama Mia is diagonally across from Marseille, where I've dined numerous times. Marseille is always packed and noisy, not so Mama Mia. It's easy to have a conversation. We had the brunch special, which came with mini blueberry and corn muffins, as well as coffee [...]

By |2025-07-27T08:04:50-04:00July 25th, 2025|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Crevette, West Village, NYC

When I heard that Crevette's, the relatively new seafood restaurant in the West Village, was from the same team as Lord's and Dame, I knew I was in for a treat. Thirsty and hungry after a morning of pickleball, we ordered a couple of apps and, of course, wine (Loire Lauverjat, Sancerre, 2024; $74) to get started. We tried poached shrimp with aioli and Calabrian chilies ($5 each) from their "Fruits de mer (seafood)" section, and the smoked trout and saffron rillettes, topped with red caviar, served with toasted baguettes ($20) from the "Apero (aperitif)" section. We also added the fried soft-shell crab with red peppers and a buttery red pepper sauce [...]

By |2025-07-27T08:07:30-04:00July 23rd, 2025|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Tapas, Pintxos and More at Txikito, Chelsea, NYC

It's been about a decade since I last visited Txikito in Chelsea, and since then, I've traveled to the Basque Country in Spain and re-experienced tapas firsthand. Because of that trip, I had to try their Gilda ($11 for 2), my favorite Basque Pintxos, small bite-sized snacks. It didn't disappoint. Neither did the Quisquillas, flash-fried head-on shrimp ($15), nor the crab on toast. My dining partner loved and would go back for those crunchy shrimp anytime!  From there, we indulged in their chilled "Foie Micuit" ($19), chilled pate with pickled rose and violet gelée, served with toasted bread and their yummy white asparagus with a garlic oil sauce ($26). We [...]

By |2025-07-27T08:10:27-04:00July 20th, 2025|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Elegant dinner at Chef Michael White’s Santi, Midtown, NYC

My birthday celebrations began with a dinner at Michael White's newest iteration, Santi, an Italian restaurant off Madison Avenue. As you expect with him at the helm, the service is outstanding. I smiled seeing the table placecard that greeted us with a "Happy Birthday." Our amuse-bouche was a spoonful of mozzarella and fresh peaches. From there, we started our feast, sampling so much of the menu that I had lots of leftovers to take home. Our apps included two tasty creations from the sea: a warm seafood salad with Ligurian olives, tomatoes, and bottarga ($36), and a crispy soft-shell crab with ramp aioli and a pomodoro verde ($39). With that, [...]

By |2025-07-27T08:14:52-04:00July 17th, 2025|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Lunch at Jean George’s The Fulton, South Street Seaport, NYC

On one of the overcast, damp June days, we headed to South Street Seaport for lunch at Jean-Georges The Fulton. We had hoped to dine on the patio but instead sat inside, overlooking the harbor. The food was attractively presented, the service was outstanding, but I felt something was missing. Oh, everything was tasty, but just missing the finesse of making the flavors perfect, as usual in Jean-Georges' dishes. For starters, we shared the unusual and tasty fresh mozzarella and warm octopus with lemon zest ($32) and the Long Island fluke in a spicy habanero vinaigrette ($19). We paired these dishes and our entrees with a Sancerre, Domaine Pierre Martin, [...]

By |2025-07-27T08:23:45-04:00July 15th, 2025|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Brunch at Bobo Rooftop, West Village, NYC

Bobos occupies several floors of a 1930s townhouse in the West Village, located at the corner of 10th Street and Seventh Avenue. The venue features a covered rooftop lounge where we celebrated two June birthdays. We chose their "boozy brunch" option ($28), which includes unlimited drinks for one hour with the purchase of an entrée. The drink choices included Bloody Marys, Dubonnet Spritz, Mimosas, or white sparkling wine. Three out of the four of us decided to sample all the drink options. To start, we enjoyed their tender, crispy artichokes served with a béarnaise sauce—definitely not to be missed. Three of us indulged in delicious cheeseburgers topped with Comté cheese [...]

By |2025-07-13T07:28:25-04:00July 12th, 2025|Big Apple Life, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Spice Symphony, UES, NYC + UN Gardens

One friend who works at the UN was able to take us on a visit to the gardens. These impressive gardens feature numerous unique statues and monuments, all of which are open to the public through guided tours. After our outing, we walked west towards Third Avenue to Spice Symphony, an Indian restaurant offering a prix fixe lunch. They served us spicy samosas as an amuse-bouche while we browsed the menu options. One of my dining partners ordered their hearty portion of paneer ($20), while another opted for the shrimp salad, which came with five large shrimp ($17). Three of us tried the pre-plated lunch, priced from $16 (vegetarian) to $20, [...]

By |2025-06-13T08:55:54-04:00July 9th, 2025|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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**Happy Hour at Mermaid Inn, Times Square, NYC + John Proctor, The Villain

We grabbed a bite during The Mermaid Inn's Times Square happy hour, as my theatre-going friends are oyster lovers. That and it was close to the theatre where we were heading to the Tony-winning play, John Proctor the Villain, which I would recommend.  During happy hour, the restaurant offers the chef's choice of oysters for $2 each, with a minimum of six.  In addition to the oysters, we tried the fried calamari ($11), which was almost entirely composed of fried coating. I'd skip the lobster roll ($26), as it the crustacean wasn't very fresh. What I'd recommend is the country-fried free-range chicken, served with jalapeño cheddar cornbread and braised collard greens, [...]

By |2025-06-28T10:39:29-04:00July 7th, 2025|Big Apple Life, Happy Hours, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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Tang by Mr Sun, UES, NYC + Met Opening Superfine of Tailoring Black Style

After the Met opening of the Superfine of Tailoring Black Style, exploring the importance of black fashion, the five of us walked east to Tang by Mr Sun on Third Avenue as we were hungry. At the opening, the only food available was small paper bags filled with either pretzels or potato chips. We ordered a variety of apps as we were hungry. We started with the interesting presentation of red lychee shrimp balls ($16 for 5) on the arms of a special holder, where the server added water to dry ice at the base, and smoke appeared all around them. To that, we added chicken satay ($12 + $4 [...]

By |2025-07-05T07:42:38-04:00July 5th, 2025|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Brunch at Catch, Meat Packing District, NYC + The Whitney: Amy Sherald: Four Ways of Being

Most museums in New York City offer free admission at some point. The Whitney Museum offers Free Friday Nights, Free Second Sundays and is free every day for those 25 and under. I took advantage of that second Sunday and met a friend there to see the Amy Sherald: Four Ways of Being exhibition. She's the artist who Michelle Obama commissioned to paint her portrait as First Lady, which is in the exhibit. After visiting the museum, we headed to the fourth-floor rooftop location of Catch. Sharing a little secret, if you go: the elevator button is difficult to find in the dark. We laughingly took out our iPhones for [...]

By |2025-07-05T07:46:55-04:00July 3rd, 2025|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Other happenings|0 Comments
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**Happy Hour at Aqua, Flatiron-Gramercy, NYC

A group of us met for happy hour at Aqua, a relatively new restaurant located in the former WeWork space on Broadway, which serves Italian and Japanese cuisine in a cavernous space. The one-star rating is not due to quality but rather because of the limited options. The sushi is good, with two options, attractively presented. I sampled their espresso martini ($12 for happy hour). One person had their cocktail special, a spicy passion fruit margarita, while others sipped the happy hour wines ($10). Like many websites, Aqua is not up-to-date with pricing. As of today, June 1, the cocktails are listed at $12; they're now $16. Happy Hour details [...]

By |2025-07-05T08:01:32-04:00July 1st, 2025|Big Apple Life, Happy Hours, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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All-Clad Lifetime Warranty!

When my All-Clad stainless-steel tea kettle started leaking more water from the base than from the spout, I decided to check the warranty online. "They did say lifetime," I recalled, thinking back I had gotten the kettle. 1993.  Yup, 32 years ago!  I reread their warranty statement: "When we say our products last a lifetime, we mean it," and then I called them. If you need to contact All-Clad about a warranty issue, call 1-800-255-2523. If you are calling from Canada, use 1-800-418-3325. The representative sent me a prepaid label so I could return my leaking kettle. I found an appropriate box, sent it off, and was delighted when my [...]

By |2025-06-06T08:50:19-04:00June 28th, 2025|Kitchen Counter, Drawer and More, Products, Recommended|0 Comments
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Prix Fixe Lunch at The Palm, Theatre District, NYC

When I think of The Palm restaurant, I envision a humongous steak overlapping the plate. I also think of those walls adorned with fun caricatures of famous people. Recently, I discovered that this classic establishment now offers a "Power Lunch" featuring a three-course prix fixe menu for just $34. I visited with a friend to give it a try. We both began with an over-dressed Caesar salad and their wonderful bread basket, which included fresh-sliced bread, cheesy rolls, breadsticks, a pretzel roll (my favorite) and fresh butter. I highly recommend choosing their fresh options. My dining companion ordered the "Catch of the Day," which was a fabulous branzino served over [...]

By |2025-06-02T06:42:25-04:00June 26th, 2025|Big Apple Life, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Garden Café, The Newt, Bruton, United Kingdom

One day while at the Edible London culinary adventure created by members of London Les Dames, we divided into two Country Tours groups, I chose The Newt in Somerset, a working estate with acres of  gardens, woodland, farmland and cider orchards. After  exploring the grounds, we headed to the café for a communal lunch. On the table already was their sourdough bread made with apple waste, topped with hangop with garden veggies. Hangop is strained yogurt, literally meaning 'hang up' that we had watched Cheesemaker, Margaretha Van Dam, make at her creamery alongside the railway tracks. Our main dish was the spiced roasted whole cauliflower with fermented leaves, English grown [...]

By |2025-06-28T09:31:50-04:00June 23rd, 2025|World, World Restaurants, World Travel|0 Comments
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Caractère Restaurant, Notting Hill, London

We divided into two groups, mine heading to Kew Gardens, then all met up again for dinner at Chef Emily Roux and husband Diego Ferrari's Caractère Restaurant. It's a former pub now one of "The Best Restaurants in Notting Hill" that's about to receive their first (well-deserved) Michelin star. Lucky us. We began with three creative passed bites, with the fish bone cracker topped with eel and furikake getting the most raves. The other two included a smoked cod roe tartelette with piment d’Espelette and a charcoal tea pie with soy and smoked whisky. Once we were seated, I dove into the crusty bread on the table. Heavenly crust! Then [...]

By |2025-05-27T07:04:45-04:00June 21st, 2025|World, World Restaurants, World Travel|0 Comments
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Pig & Khao, Lower East Side, NYC

NOTE: After visiting, we saw this notice online: "Our last day of service will be June 22." Both the UWS and Chesea (Piggyback) locations are open.  Earlier this year, my daughter-in-law raved about a Southeast Asian restaurant on the Lower East Side where she met a colleague when in town. I couldn't resist trying it, so I made a reservation with some friends I had met on a recent trip to Ecuador. We squeezed into a cozy corner booth, and right away, the atmosphere was lively and casual, with loud 90s hip-hop music playing in the background. I love the family-style dining experience, as it encourages sharing. Once we sipped our [...]

By |2025-06-30T16:01:33-04:00June 18th, 2025|Big Apple Life, City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|2 Comments
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