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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Frena, Hell’s Kitchen, NYC + Exile

Before heading to the MAP Theater's off-off-Broadway production of Exile, James Joyce's 90-minute play, which is rarely performed, we stopped into the fairly new Frena, where Taboon once was located on the corner of 52 and Tenth Avenue. It's a warm and friendly place decorated with lots of greenery from the ceiling. It is a modern Middle Eastern concept in Hell's Kitchen that — as Taboon did —celebrates that cuisine and its frena, the traditional communal Moroccan oven producing fresh, fragrant bread brushed with olive oil, Maldon salt, wild dry za'atar, We had to have that bread ($9) as the centerpiece of our meal, along with a trio of their [...]

By |2025-03-15T12:20:46-04:00March 24th, 2025|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Dan Leader

Daniel Leader may not be a household, but Bread Alone, his family organic bakery might be. The bakery, which began in the 80s, sold wood-fired loaves at their Catskills bakery. They currently do so through farmers markets in the area. Their fermentation process creates bread that is "better for you, tastes great and lasts plenty long—without preservatives." Dan is a James Beard Award-winning visionary, whose groundbreaking books Bread Alone and Local Breads are both IACP Award winners. His 2019 book, Living Bread, brought home a James Beard Award. He's just published A Slow Rise: Favorite Recipes from Four Decades of Baking with Heart by Daniel Leader with Lauren Chattman. The heart [...]

By |2025-03-22T07:15:54-04:00March 21st, 2025|Big Apple Life, Foodie Interviews, NYC Restaurant Reviews, xyz misc|0 Comments
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Morgan Library Cafe, Murray Hill, NYC + “Imitation of Life”

"Imitation of Life" with Sandra Dee and Lana Turner is one of my all-time tearjerkers, even more so than "An Affair to Remember," whose theme song starts my waterworks. That's the 1959 remake of the Claudette Colbert one, screened at The Morgan Library, whose personal librarian, their first Director, Belle da Costa Greene, also passed. Before the showing, we stopped in the glass-enclosed casual cafe for a bite. We shared a bottle ($60) of Whispering Angel Rosé, Provence, France, to enjoy with our two shared entrees. The Everything-Spiced Crab Cobb ($34) layers Maryland crab, tomato, Maytag Blue cheese, avocado and egg in a round. We requested the bacon on the [...]

By |2025-03-15T12:20:32-04:00March 18th, 2025|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Dame Gathering at Wu’s Wonton King, Chinatown, NYC

I emerged from the F train at East Broadway and was delighted to arrive at the door of Wu's Wonton King, where our Les Dames d'Escoffier chapter was celebrating the year of the snake with a multi-course meal and wine pairings. Les Dames d' Escoffier (LDEI) is a group of influential and accomplished women in the food and wine world who support our communities through grants, scholarships and mentorship. My table was adorned with a roasted sucking pig, waiting to be taken away, carved and served to the large group of us.  We started with a bowl of their rich broth soup, replete with three wontons: one filled with pork, [...]

By |2025-02-28T13:57:30-05:00March 15th, 2025|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Dinner at Da Andrea, Greenwich Village, NYC

My friend selected Da Andrea as the neighborhood place she'd like to celebrate her big birthday. Last I dined was lunch mid summer,  outside. This time inside the small family-style place where staff greets you as you walk through the door. It's a very friendly bistro with fine food and welcoming, attentive service. You're made to feel welcome as you walk in the door, I arrived a bit early, adorning the table with birthday beads, necklaces, a crown and a sash for the birthday girl boasting, "Its my birthday!" We like to share each course, asking Palina our friendly server, to bring them one at a time. She obliged, not [...]

By |2025-03-24T09:45:04-04:00March 13th, 2025|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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**Happy Hour at Café D’Alsace, Upper East Side, NYC

Most everyone loves traditions. That's what we were hoping to start when we met at Café D'Alsace on the first Wednesday on the month. A few of us showed up enjoyed their discounted cocktails during happy hour. I sampled their refreshing Hugo Spritz made with St. Germain, fresh mint and sparkling wine ($12) and with that I indulged in their housemade truffle fries ($6). I'd recommend a stop in for their happy hour. **Happy Hour details as of 02.05.2025 Hours: 5 to 7 pm, daily What’s happy? $12 specific cocktails, $7 beer, $10 wine & bubbly, plus 3 small plates.  Charcuterie, $14, Cheese selections $6 for one chunk, [...]

By |2025-06-11T11:31:52-04:00March 10th, 2025|Big Apple Life, Happy Hours, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Restaurant Week at LouLou, Chelsea, NYC

Loulou Petit Bistro & Speakeasy is a charming French bistro in the heart of Chelsea, where I met a friend for lunch during Restaurant Week. We both did the two-course $30 lunch, selecting an appetizer and an entree but skipping dessert. The portions at the French bistro are generous. We each savored each bite of their frisée salad in a citrus vinaigrette topped with a poached egg and smoked bacon lardons—a classic French ingredient of small cubes or strips of fatty bacon or pork fat.  This plentiful salad could have satisfied us as lunch. Deciding to share, we asked Gabriela, our attentive server, to have the kitchen split the entrees [...]

By |2025-02-24T10:41:45-05:00March 7th, 2025|NYC Restaurant Reviews|1 Comment
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Trattoria One Fifth, Greenwich Village, NYC

Sadly, before this review posted, One Fifth closed its doors for good.  Trattoria One Fifth is a relatively new Italian neighborhood restaurant in Greenwich Village, created by Marc Forgione. Each month, he collaborates with friends to craft unique, one-of-a-kind pizzas that feature his signature dough along with their distinct styles. As invited guests, we had the opportunity to visit when they featured a pizza from ZURiTO, a Basque-inspired pintxo bar in Boston, Massachusetts. The pizza, called The Gilda, draws inspiration from one of the pintxos on Zurito's menu. It is topped with red sauce, Cantabrian anchovies, pickled guindilla peppers, Manzanilla olives, Idiazabal cheese, and scallion oil. I loved the Gilda— [...]

By |2025-02-27T11:26:48-05:00March 4th, 2025|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Café Paradiso, Lincoln Center, NYC + The New York City Ballet

If you haven't discovered Café Paradiso at Lincoln Center to grab a bite before your performance, I highly recommend. It's a gem. The restaurant is conveniently nestled in Lincoln Center on the campus, next to the Film at Lincoln Center screening room.  The owner, restaurateur Shelly Fireman, owns Cafe Fiorello across from Lincoln Center, Trattoria Dell'Arte,  Bond 45 and more. The food blends Italian and American foods with love; Fireman spent 35 years living in Italy and was raised in the Bronx. We started with one of their refreshing spritzes. My dining partner had a Paradiso Spritz with Aperol, passion fruit and Prosecco ($15). I ordered a regular Aperol one without the [...]

By |2025-02-24T10:39:56-05:00March 2nd, 2025|Big Apple Life, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Dukes, Hau Tree and Cafe Morey’s in Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii

Met friends and family for meals while on Oahu, as many had vacationed in Hawaii over the holidays too. Duke's in the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort was across from the hotel where my sister and her family stayed. We were between lunch and dinner when we stopped in for a meal, so we ate whatever was available. We all picked at Duke's nachos ($17), coconut shrimp ($29) and the orders of Cajun fish tacos ($27 + $2 for the guacamole). My friend and fellow Dame, a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier, welcomed me with a beautiful lei before we walked to the Kaimana Beach Hotel for lunch at Hau Tree [...]

By |2025-02-24T10:39:41-05:00February 27th, 2025|USA Restaurants, USA Travel|0 Comments
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Chez Josephine, Hell’s Kitchen, NYC + Little Shop of Horrors

It's a true New York immigrant story! I hadn't been back to Chez Josephine since before the pandemic. During my first visit, Jean-Claude Baker, the adoptive son of the restaurant's namesake, Josephine, welcomed me. This time, however, it was Manuel Uzha, the current owner, who greeted me. Jean-Claude entrusted Chez Josephine to him when he passed away. Their connection began in the 1980s when Manuel worked as a dishwasher while Jean-Claude was the maître d' at an Upper East Side restaurant. After enjoying the always entertaining "Little Shop of Horrors" at the Westside Theatre, we arrived at Chez Josephine. I noticed that the front table in the window was empty [...]

By |2025-01-29T12:14:06-05:00February 24th, 2025|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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The Opening of Joomak in Maison Hudson, West Village, NYC

The friend of my friend's son invited us to the friends and family opening of the 27-seat restaurant upstairs in the luxury hotel Maison Hudson, his company's—16” on Center—newest restaurant in the West Village. The official opening date was January 29th.  Weather permitting, additional seating will be available in their outdoor dining area. We were treated to the cooking of  Jiho Kim, who hails from seven years at The Modern as Executive Pastry Chef and whose first iteration, Joomak Banjum, received a Michelin star. In Joomak, Kim offers a New American cuisine with Korean influence. His experience as a pastry chef comes through in the detailed presentation of each course. [...]

By |2025-01-27T10:30:16-05:00February 22nd, 2025|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Restaurant Week Lunch at Four Twenty Five, Midtown, NYC

One of my friends always likes to sample high-end restaurants during Restaurant Week. Smart lady. That's why the three of us ended at Jean-Georges's newest midtown restaurant Four Twenty Five that opened about a year ago. Like all Jean-Georges' locales, it didn't disappoint, starting with the flavorful amuse bouche of a chickpea cake topped with miso mixed with hummus and topped with yuzu. A burst of flavor. We each chose the delicious restaurant meal lunch for $60, all three of us starting with the Butternut Squash Soup with caramelized squash, the unusual kohlrabi sauerkraut and pumpkin seed tapenade, giving it more texture. I ordered the pan-roasted hake with a jalapeño-hakurei [...]

By |2025-01-24T12:24:40-05:00February 20th, 2025|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Alison Restaurant, East Harlem, NYC + Museum of City of New York

After our amazing tour at the Museum of City of New York with our ex.expats of New York group, seeing the "New York at its core —400 Years of NYC History" amazing exhibit brought to life by our engaging tour guide Gabe Tennen, we headed in the neighborhood to lunch. With twenty of us hitting Alison, a small neighborhood restaurant on Lex and 104, at one time, their service — obviously — was off.  Slow, but pleasant. We sampled lots from their lunch menu, include sandwiches ($18 grilled chicken and grilled salmon), a faro bowl with kale, roasted cauliflower, feta, pickled onions & avocado ($18), huevos rancheros with a fried tostada, [...]

By |2025-01-24T12:17:46-05:00February 18th, 2025|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Tarallucci e Vino, Union Square, NYC

It was my first time at Tarallucci e Vino for lunch. I've been for happy hour and dinner a few times, but not midday, when I met a friend. We were both doing dry January, so our beverage of choice was Pellegrino ($9). We asked that our dishes be served as courses, beginning with the octopus ($28), which had shrunk since I last enjoyed the cephalopod at Tarralluci e Vino. Talk about shrinkage. This time, we got one charred tentacle with roasted potatoes and the most delicious salad of paper-thin fennel and sliced green olives over arugula. About a year ago, I had twice the octopus and much fewer potatoes [...]

By |2025-01-24T12:16:28-05:00February 16th, 2025|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Visits to Monkeypod, Ko Alani, Oahu, Hawai’i

We headed off property to Monkeypod Kitchen by Merriman for better food. We liked Ko Olina Beach Club, but not their food offerings. When I lived in Waikiki in the 60s, this area didn't exist. The current area includes The Four Seasons, Aulani-A Disney Resort & Spa and more!  It's lush, with lots of swimming/snorkeling options and the beaches are not crowded as they are in Waikiki. I recommend. As for Monkeypod, the staff knew us after our first visit with the bartender, recalling the virgin cocktail he had made for my 10-year-old grandson; he made it again. The food here is fresh and recommendable; the staff is friendly. We [...]

By |2025-01-22T10:16:32-05:00February 14th, 2025|USA Restaurants, USA Travel|0 Comments
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New Coffee Service at Holiday Cocktail Lounge, East Village, NYC

A group of Dames — members of Les Dames d'Escoffier New York (LDNY — met at Holiday Cocktail Lounge to sample their new coffee offerings, introduced late last fall starting at 8 am daily. The service includes coffee, espresso beverages with coffee from local Superlost Coffee, tea, and juice. We all wanted to support LDNY's President, Barbara Sibley, who is Creative Director of Holiday and  Chef/Owner of  La Palapa Restaurant Group. La Palapa, her authentic Mexican restaurant is right next door.  Also available are freshly made pastries, breakfast items, and sandwiches. While there, we sampled plain and chocolate croissants, lemon squares, large pretzels and pasteis de nata — the Portuguese [...]

By |2025-01-22T14:34:51-05:00February 12th, 2025|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Unique Coffee Shop: Ariston Flowers & Cafe, Chelsea, NYC

Need a place to meet for coffee?  My current favorite is Ariston Flower's & Cafe where the aroma of coffee mingles with flowers as you walk through the flower shop to the cafe in the rear. In addition to the Devocion farm-fresh specialty Colombian coffee selections, Ariston Flowers & Cafe offers pastries, sandwiches, salads and other breakfast offerings. On my last visit, my friend enjoyed their egg & bacon on a brioche roll ($9.50) and coffee while we sat and yakked while sitting in the aromatic location. I highly recommend this coffee shop Ariston Flowers & Cafe Union Square 78 5th Avenue New York, NY 10011 646-759-1963 aristonflowers.com

By |2025-02-08T13:25:41-05:00February 10th, 2025|Big Apple Life, City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|1 Comment
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Brunch at Mark’s Off Madison, Gramercy-Flatiron, NYC

We met at Mark's Off Madison for brunch to celebrate a friend's birthday. The restaurant is from New York native Mark Strausman, of Freds at Barney's New York pre-pandemic. Mark's is quintessentially New York, serving traditional Jewish foods of Mark's upbringing. Portions are enormous. Service is attentive. You will need a reservation as it's always packed. Order the appetizing. It's the Jewish word for the foods you eat with a bagel—at least according to Russ & Daughters, one of the last remaining appetizing shops in the world. Four of us shared their huge Straissie's smoked fish platter ($38) with house-cured lox, nova, sable and whitefish salad garnished with a tomato [...]

By |2025-01-21T15:02:08-05:00February 8th, 2025|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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***Happy Hour at The Standard Grill + City Winery

Before heading to City Winery for the Joel Chasnoff show, we stopped in at The Standard for their incredible happy hour offerings. We nibbled popcorn ($5) and fries ($5) along with our drinks of French Seventy-Five ($9) of vodka (replacing the classic gin) citrus oleo, lemon and topped with champagne and a spiced plum spritz ($9) with honeysuckle vodka, plum liqueur, hibiscus tea lemon vermouth, wormwood and bubbles. After our snacks, we sampled their hearty portions of sliced steak with fries ($25), king salmon with vegetables and grilled chicken paillard ($15). We three concluded that upon return, we'd each order the chicken. Off we went for lots of laughs at [...]

By |2025-02-08T13:54:11-05:00February 8th, 2025|Happy Hours, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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