Bites

New Oasis Cafe, Chelsea, NYC

When I met my friend, Liz Williams of the Les Dames d'Escoffier Collection at the SoFAB Research Center at Nunez Community College, who came to town from New Orleans to see her grandson and, of course, his parents!  I always try to find a new spot for us to meet. Little did I think it would be a block away. A new building had sprouted on the SW corner of 14th and 6th, with a new wellness restaurant called Oasis Cafe. We're glad to get it in the hood, as The Well, a wellness cafe on 15th Street, had recently closed. There's coffee and pastries, along with meal options, including vegan [...]

By |2026-02-27T08:00:29-05:00March 12th, 2026|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Lunch with a View at MAD Museum’s Robert, Midtown, NYC

We decided to meet our friend from Sarasota, who was in the city to see her grandkids, for lunch at Robert restaurant in the MAD museum. We sat by the window overlooking Columbus Circle, enjoying the views. I ordered their special three-course $65 prix fixe meal, starting with their butternut squash soup attractively presented with maple creme fraiche drizzled over and pepitas for crunch, plus their salmon with a sweet-spicy ginger sauce with jasmine rice and bok choy and shared my dessert of Oreo raspberry cheesecake with a mint coulis and orange foam.  Other than the salmon being slightly overcooked, everything was good, attractively presented and served professionally. One friend [...]

By |2026-03-08T11:06:00-04:00March 8th, 2026|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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The Laurels Cafe and Bar, East Village, NYC

On my way to play pickleball, I've walked past, but never really noticed The Laurel on the corner of Second Avenue and 14th Street. It's a bright casual venue in the East Village to meet for brunch My dining partner started with a peach Bellini ($11) and the omelet ($16) of the day filled with tomatoes, bacon and goat cheese. I enjoyed their spicy Bloody Mary ($14) and indulged in their crispy fried chicken breast sandwich with chipotle aioli on a brioche bun, topped with coleslaw and pickles ($22), served with salad and fries, which was so filling that I took half home for dinner! I'd recommend brunch at The [...]

By |2026-02-21T09:45:05-05:00March 6th, 2026|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Inside for Dinner at Indochine, East Village, NYC

Last time I dined at Indochine, I was so impressed not only by the restaurant's food but also by its service. We were dining outside, being bitten by mosquitoes. Our server actually went down the street to buy insect repellent for us. Now that's hospitality! Hospitality as described in "Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect" by Will Guidara. This time, we headed down to the NoHo restaurant not for a show at The Public, but for restaurant week, when they offer an amazing $60 3-course menu featuring many of their popular items. Unfortunately, the hospitality was lacking from the moment we were seated, as [...]

By |2026-02-21T09:44:59-05:00March 3rd, 2026|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Our Delayed Holiday Gathering, Novita, Flatiron, NYC

One of our organizing team members couldn't attend our annual holiday luncheon at an iconic, holiday-decorated venue because she was a snowbird at her Florida home. We decided to book it at Novita, a local fave of mine, in February, when she was here. Michelangelo, the perfect restaurateur, is there to greet you as a friend.  It's that kind of place where you always feel welcome. While waiting for my friends to arrive, I had dreams of spring, sipping my Aperol spritz ($22) as I arrived about half an hour early. Silly me, I had errands to do in the hood before meeting my friends, and ended up arriving at [...]

By |2026-02-21T09:44:46-05:00February 28th, 2026|Big Apple Life, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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La Masseria, Theatre District, NYC + Two Strangers Carry A Cake (Across New York)

During our sub-frigid winter, I chose restaurants within a 5-minute walk of our theatre. This time, the classic La Masseria is across 48th Street from where we saw the delightful two-character musical, Two Strangers Carry A Cake (Across New York)—one of those shows where you leave smiling. To start our meal—along with our bread service—we picked at their crispy, lightly fried zucchini strips, Chef Pino-style. I'd recommend it as a nice way to start our meal. Works nicely with a Montepulciano ($17). One friend enjoyed the whole branzino with roasted potatoes and diced veggies, caponata-style ($55), while another enjoyed calf's liver sautéed with onions & blueberry vinegar ($41.50). Both good. [...]

By |2026-02-21T09:44:38-05:00February 25th, 2026|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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Chinese New Year Celebration at Dim Sum Palace, Hell’s Kitchen, Theatre Row, NY

Over 30 of us gathered at Theatre Row's Dim Sum Palace to celebrate the Chinese New Year. My ex-expat group had negotiated a Chinese New Year menu ($100 pp) in a private area of the restaurant, which started with shrimp dumplings, vegetable spring rolls and pork soup dumplings, served on our table's lazy Susan. In the next round, we shared their palace mixed appetizer, featuring spicy cold cucumber, crispy garlic spare ribs, and cold jellyfish and squid, plus Peking duck. The food just kept coming, including Hong Kong-style Dungeness crab, lobster with ginger and scallions, steak with asparagus, baby lamb chops, whole flounder, snow peas with garlic, baby bok choy, [...]

By |2026-02-22T19:51:02-05:00February 22nd, 2026|Big Apple Life, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Happy Hour at Docks Oyster Bar, Midtown, NYC

A group of us gathered at Docks Oyster Bar for their 3-star happy hour. We had a front corner in the restaurant's bar area that felt like our own. I sipped their happy-hour blood-orange Cosmo ($19), which I'd recommend, while others sipped bubbly or wine ($9). By the time I arrived, part of the group had already arrived and were eating oysters, spicy tuna rolls, and shrimp shumai dumplings with chili-garlic sauce ($14) from the extensive happy-hour menu, along with drinks.  We ordered more food and drinks, with my favorite being the Thai chili calamari at $9. I recommend Dock's three-star happy hour! ***Happy Hour details as of 02/04/2026 Hours:  [...]

By |2026-02-22T19:52:18-05:00February 20th, 2026|Happy Hours, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Toloache, Midtown West, NYC + Just in Time

When we learned that Jonathan Groff would be playing his final performance in the Broadway musical Just In Time (Circle in the Square Theatre) as Bobby Darin on Sunday, March 29, 2026, we had to get tickets. He's the one I loved playing King George in Hamilton so much that, while watching it on Disney+, I'd rewind and watch it again. And again. If you haven't seen it yet, grab some tickets to this delightful musical about Bobby Darin's life and music. We grabbed a bite at Toloache, a perfect spot when going to Circle in the Square, as it's around the corner. While waiting for our friend to arrive, we started with [...]

By |2026-02-22T19:54:01-05:00February 17th, 2026|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Back to Cull & Pistol for Lunch, Chelsea Market, NYC

During my "Greet" with a new friend from Cumming, GA, we stopped for lunch—specifically a lobster roll—at Cull & Pistol in Chelsea Market. A "Greet" is a free, informal tour of an area in New York City led by a volunteer from Big Apple Greeters, a nonprofit organization that has welcomed NYC visitors since 1992. I'm a new volunteer sharing my love of the city with newcomers. My new friend had the hot butter version ($40); I requested mine chilled ($40). Both were delicious, as were the shoestring fries. I washed my down with some Sauvignon Blanc ($16), my new friend, with a Pilsner ($9). We each were happily satiated. [...]

By |2026-03-02T10:06:23-05:00February 14th, 2026|Big Apple Greeter, Big Apple Life, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|1 Comment
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Happy Hour at Martiny’s, Gramercy, NYC + the Career Accelerator Legacy Awards

Seems we all had the same idea: arrive at Martiny's before our 6 pm reservation to chat with some of the others. The door on this freezing night was locked and remained so until exactly 6 pm. We had read—and wanted to try—this place as Martiny's is currently ranked the 15th Best Bar in North America & 24th Best Bar in the World. Most of us ended up at Pete's Tavern around the corner for a drink before our reservation at Martiny's, which we headed back to at 6. Last time I had been at the three-story 1800 carriage house on 17, it was The House restaurant. Today, Martiny's is [...]

By |2026-02-22T19:58:08-05:00February 11th, 2026|Big Apple Life, Happy Hours, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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RH Guesthouse, Meatpacking District, NYC

There are restaurants I often hear about and would like to try, but never get around to it. RH Guesthouse was one of those. I'm a big fan of its sister restaurant, RH Rooftop. Their food is good, the service divine, and the ambiance elegant and cozy, perfect for conversation.  I wondered whether I'd enjoy the even more stylish and luxurious Gueshouse more. We celebrated a friend's big birthday with dessert—and other goodies—planned for afterward at a nearby friend's. The RH food was fine, service was over the top, but the ambiance was too staid for our lively bunch. The most remarkable things we ordered included the garlicky grilled broccolini [...]

By |2026-02-04T11:11:54-05:00February 8th, 2026|NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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*** Happy Hour at David Burke’s Park Ave Kitchen, Midtown, NYC

A dozen of us met at David Burke's Park Ave Kitchen, midtown, for drinks and nibbles from their happy hour menu. This HH menu is one of those that can easily be dinner. I ordered the sliders, not noticing the word "stack,"  as I had dreamt of DB's bacon. On this menu, instead of his traditional hanging, bacon was offered only on the slider. I ordered and devoured about half of that $15 plate, which included three hefty, perfectly cooked mini-burgers on potato buns, stacked on a base of fries. Three of my fellow attendees happily helped devour it. Others tried his deviled eggs ($9 for three) and various rolls [...]

By |2026-02-04T11:07:14-05:00February 4th, 2026|Big Apple Life, Happy Hours, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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New Thai Restaurant Lalyn, Midtown, NYC

Earlier this year, a friend and I attended the fun opening of a new Thai restaurant on the edge of Koreatown. The food and drinks flowed; we met lots of fun folks who were enjoying the goodies, too. When invited back to sit as their guests and enjoy a fixed menu, we jumped at the chance to interact again with their friendly, attentive staff (who recognized us) and to sample some of what we'd enjoyed at the opening. We started with our favorite cocktail, the Ruan Juan ($21), made with gin, lemongrass, shochu, bergamot and dry vermouth, garnished with a Makrut lime, Don't miss their deep-fried balls filled with jumbo [...]

By |2026-01-30T14:41:10-05:00February 1st, 2026|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Daniel’s Le Pavillon for Prix Fixe Lunch, Midtown, NYC

We had a delayed birthday lunch as one Connecticut friend was recovering from an accident. Once she recovered, we booked Daniel Boulud's elegant 1-star Michelin restaurant, Le Pavillon, in the Summit building, right next to Grand Central Terminal, to make her commute easier. Le Pavillon, like many top-notch NYC restaurants, offers a prix fixe lunch, making it an affordable option to dine. The current everyday lunch prix fixe is $78 for two courses or $95 for three courses—always elegant, beautifully plated and first-rate service. Food is always good, being tasty, multi-component and technique-driven. While sipping our Drouhin-Vaudon Chablis 2023 ($28), we nibbled on their always-worth-the-calories bread basket with butter.   I tried [...]

By |2026-01-30T14:54:50-05:00January 29th, 2026|Big Apple Life, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|1 Comment
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Starbucks Reserve Roastery New York + Big Apple Greeters

As a member of Big Apple Greeters, I have the pleasure of meeting, welcoming and sharing my passion for New York City. Recently, I had the joy of guiding a wonderful family of four from Axams, Austria. We met at the Vessel at Hudson Yards to begin our time together. Who knew that on snowy days, the Vessel and the Highline would be closed! I certainly didn't!  We took the subway back downtown to 14th Street and headed to the Hudson River Parkway to explore the parts of Little Island that were open. On the way there, we discovered that the lower part of the High Line was accessible! Next [...]

By |2026-03-02T10:06:11-05:00January 27th, 2026|Big Apple Greeter, Big Apple Life, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Brunch at Shuka, SoHo, NYC

I've been to Shuka for dinner multiple times, but oddly, I had not been for lunch or brunch; after this meal, that will change. I so enjoyed the staff's hospitality and ambiance at brunch that I will go back for that. As an espresso martini fan, I asked our server whether theirs was sweet, as I prefer mine not. The lovely manager on duty, Janna, served me both the Bloody Mary ($17) I had ordered and the martini I didn't. She wanted me to sample it.  It was too sweet for me, but her kind hospitality warmed my heart, as did her providing the table with their house-made labne ($12), the thick, [...]

By |2025-12-23T10:42:39-05:00January 23rd, 2026|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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The Lebanese Sawa, Park Slope, Brooklyn

A group of my Dames (members of Les Dames d'Escoffier, LDNY) friends decided to meet in Park Slope for Lebanese cuisine served in an elegant yet relaxed atmosphere. Our Lebanese Dame walked us through all the offerings, sharing stories about how most of Samaya Boueri Ziade's dishes tasted like home. As is typical, we started with a mezze — always my favorite part of any Mediterranean meal, this was no different. We each received two orders of their freshly baked pita bread ($4), served one per guest with our dips. All were yummy - including the traditional silky hummus ($6) topped with chickpeas and EVOO, their charred eggplant baba ghannouj [...]

By |2025-12-23T10:42:29-05:00January 20th, 2026|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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$45 Prixe Fixe at Estiatorio Milos Hudson Yards

“Forty-five dollars for a prix fixe at Estiatorio Milos? Are you kidding?” I exclaimed when my friend told me about the fantastic prix fixe lunch special at the upscale Greek seafood restaurant. How could I resist this lunch offer? I decided to invite some friends to join me, and they were glad they came along. The view from our table showcased Hudson Yards, the Vessel and boats on the Hudson River. We chose a Greek wine to accompany our meal, ordering the crisp, citrusy Assyrtiko, Areti, Biblia Chora, Pangeon 2022 ($90). I loved how the server poured extra-virgin olive oil onto a plate for us to enjoy with the bread, [...]

By |2025-12-23T10:42:20-05:00January 17th, 2026|Big Apple Life, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Lunch at Cognac, Upper East Side, NYC

One of the best parts of New York is that many people visit our spectacular city, allowing me to reconnect with friends.  Recently, a friend from Sarasota came to town, and we met for lunch at a cozy restaurant on the Upper East Side, near where I had my book group in the mid-afternoon. The restaurant Cognac is a brasserie serving classic French cuisine across its three locations, with attentive service. I ordered their tart with sliced roasted tomatoes and fresh goat cheese atop some warm puff pastry  ($21). However, I couldn’t help but daydream about the caramelized-onion tart at Ci Siamo. I paired my meal with a glass of [...]

By |2026-01-26T10:46:23-05:00January 14th, 2026|Big Apple Life, City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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