Bites

Las Brisas, Laguna Beach, California

I booked outside tables at Las Brisas so those arriving from the East Coast could enjoy dining with fresh ocean air along the Pacific. The restaurant offers California cuisine with a touch of Mexico. The restaurant was also able to accommodate our large group. Our dinner was the night before our "TAG, You're it" cousins reunion commenced in Aliso Viejo, California. Almost fifty relatives worldwide attended, with many cousins' offspring never meeting. We hoped to pass the baton to them to plan our next gathering and stay connected. [It worked. Our kids are now planning the next reunion.] About 25 of us were at dinner, divided among three tables on [...]

By |2023-09-08T23:16:22-04:00September 3rd, 2023|Bites from the Road, USA, USA Restaurants|0 Comments
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Brunch at Home Bistro, Murray Hill, NYC + Mission Impossible

We were heading to AMC to see Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One and were looking for a place for a quick brunch before going. I had promised to return to Home Bistro after meeting owner/chef John Sierp when I arrived for an opening that wasn't! He was so hospitable I vowed to return. This time, we indulged in their Bottomless Brunch Drinks ($20) with their 1.5 hours of unlimited Mimosas, Tequila Sunrises, Aperol Spritz, Frozen Margs, Bloody Marys, Bud light Drafts, Screwdrivers for $20 to the cost of any entree (minimum $10). We chose the Aperol Spritz served in a mason jar. As we were sharing, [...]

By |2023-08-28T12:52:24-04:00September 1st, 2023|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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2023 US Open Food Tasting Preview

With expansive dining options across the grounds of The US Open Tennis Championships at Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, visitors can eat well. Last week, I sampled this year's offering at an inaugural Flavors of the Open event at ACES with a tasting of the great food and signature drinks from top celebrity chef partners offering their fare during the open. Some chefs like Pat LaFrieda, David Burke, Ed Brown, Masaharu Morimoto, Josh Capon and Alex Guarnaschelli have been partners for years. Joining them this year are Kwame Onwuachi (Tatiana), Melba Silson (Melbas) and James Kent (Crown Shy), among others. Some goodies we sampled included Melba’s Spring Rolls  (peas [...]

By |2023-09-08T23:35:38-04:00August 29th, 2023|Big Apple Life, City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Shoreside Meal at the Little Pub, Stratford, CT

Little Pub is a waterside cafe on the Connecticut Sound in Stratford, with good food and friendly service that friends had suggested. I met friends there recently. We sat outside on the deck with the water lapping shoreside, sipping our dirty martinis ($15) while nibbling their crispy fries ($3) and catching up. Our entrees were tasty. I tried the Thai sesame grilled salmon ($17)s over fresh greens with carrots, red onions and Mandarin oranges in a light citrus-ginger dressing, all topped with wontons and drizzled with a spicy wasabi sauce. My gluten-free friend tried the Napa salmon flatbread ($17) — sans bread with her blackened salmon over shredded cabbage, pico [...]

By |2023-08-27T08:37:12-04:00August 28th, 2023|Bites from the Road, USA, USA Restaurants|0 Comments
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*Happy Hour Barn Joo, Union Square, NYC

I'm on a mission to discover worth-it happy hours (HH)in my greater hood.  My first time here, Barn Joo offered a grumpy hour from 11:30 am to 4 pm, which preceded their happy hour! Last time, I didn't try a HH cocktail as I was in the mood for an Old Fashioned. Barn Joo's was really good but didn't have the HH discount. So this time, I sampled their serrano margarita It was fine, just nothing I'd go back for. The only food specials are fresh oysters and cocktail shrimp, $10.50 for half a dozen. The service is consistently friendly. I ordered their bibimbap with spicy pork, which was even [...]

By |2025-04-14T08:03:16-04:00August 26th, 2023|Happy Hours, NYC Restaurant Reviews|2 Comments
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Seamore’s, Chelsea & Brookfield Place, NYC + Philobulus at The Joyce

Odd, I know,  to dine at a Seamore's twice in two days, but I did. The first time was downtown in Brookfield Place after the Les Dames d'Escoffier scholarship event at the Institute for Culinary Education. It's our annual event to honor our recipients. Since 1977, we — Les Dames d'Escoffier New York — have awarded more than $2 million in scholarships to help advance female professionals in our industry. A few of us grabbed a bite afterward, with Seamore's being the only place able to accommodate our group at their flagship largest location. Their oysters ($18 for 6) and the lobster roll are fresh ($34). You can get the roll [...]

By |2023-08-24T08:32:11-04:00August 24th, 2023|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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Beso Restaurant St. George, Staten Island

There was a tornado watch as we boarded the Staten Island Ferry, dampening our chance to sit outside but not our excitement about going to Beso, a Spanish tapas restaurant my friends love. The restaurant is about a 10 minutes walk from the ferry terminal. Beso, a multi-floor yet cozy restaurant, is bright and colorful, with fun people photos adorning the brick-walled space. My friends have been to and love it for its special pre-fixe menu offering six tapas from the dinner menu and two desserts with coffee or tea for $89. We sipped their traditional white sangria - our first pitcher mango flavored ($36 + $3 for the flavor), [...]

By |2023-08-22T07:03:07-04:00August 22nd, 2023|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Song’E Napule New Location, West Village, NYC + PS at Pine & Polk Speakeasy

The publicist reached out about Song’E Napule's new location, down the block east on Houston from its previous location. I couldn't resist going remembering how delicious it had been. This is the fourth location of this pizzeria and trattoria. I again sampled their Parmigiana Di Melanzane ($18), thin slices of eggplant parmigiana that had melted in my mouth. So glad I did, as it was as good as last time. So was their pizza, although I ordered the 12-inch Margherita pizza ($18), topped with San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil drizzled with EVOO this time. The most heavenly dish was the evening's special gnocchi potato dumplings filled with liquid [...]

By |2024-08-07T09:37:38-04:00August 20th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Speakeasys|0 Comments
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The Long Room, Theatre District, NYC + Good Night Oscar at the Balasco

We met at the noisy—yet inviting—The Long Room, an Irish pub across from the Balasco Theatre, where we saw Sean Hayes's well-deserved Tony-winner performance as Oscar Levant in Good Night Oscar. His tour-de-force performance is not to be missed. Unless they extend the run, you have only until Sunday, August 27, 2023, before the show closes. The Long Room offers some cocktails named after Broadway shows. For a nanosecond, I thought about ordering the "Good Night, Oscar" and instead chose the yummy "My Edelman's Old Fashioned" made with rye ($16); one dining partner enjoyed a gingery mule and the other a glass of wine. The friendly manager, sporting a genuine [...]

By |2023-08-20T13:12:57-04:00August 18th, 2023|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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The Newly Opened Cecchi’s, West Village, NYC

I remembered my building-mate telling me about the opening of Cecchi, a new bar and grill in our hood in the space where Café Loup had been around the corner from UPS, where I frequently drop off Amazon returns. I headed there after doing so recently to see what the hype was about. The friendly bistro is from Michael Cecchi-Azzolina (The Water Club, The River Cafe, Raoul's and Le Coucou). When I arrived five minutes after it opened, only a few seats were available at the bar. I took one and started a conversation with the friendly bartender, Frances. Prices are hefty, like most Manhattan places; I wish there was [...]

By |2023-08-20T13:17:14-04:00August 16th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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The Cafeteria at Stone Barns,Tarrytown, NY

When visiting a friend in Irvington, we decided to dine at Stone Barn for lunch and a walk around the grounds. The rain negated that plan! We had prebooked and paid for lunch at The Cafeteria, an intriguing place within Stone Barn where you gather your meal onto a tray. While doing so, I ran into Chef Dan Barber. He's the one who spearheaded the farm-to-table movement. Dan received the James Beard "Best Chef New York City" in 2006 and "Outstanding Chef " in 2009. That same year, he was named among Time magazine's 100 most influential people worldwide. Ferran Adrià (of elBulli fame) penned the Time piece, mentioning Dan's [...]

By |2023-08-13T07:39:18-04:00August 14th, 2023|Bites from the Road, USA, USA Restaurants|0 Comments
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Lord’s (Sister to Dame), Greenwich Village, NYC

Lord's is the second restaurant from chef Ed Szymanski and his partner, Patricia Howard, paying homage to British bistro food. The first is Dame; both have a limited ever-changing menu. We continued the never-ending celebration of my big birthday outside at this restaurant on La Guardia Place. I chose their unusual snap pea martini to start; my dining partner their minty gin and tonic. They combine Beefeater gin, blonde Lillet, Chartreuse and pureed snap pea leaves, then garnish the green-tinged martini with snap pea oil. Don't miss their Scotch egg, the quintessential British snack. They wrap the egg with curried ground lamb, roll it in breadcrumbs, and then deep fry it, [...]

By |2023-08-09T19:02:59-04:00August 12th, 2023|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Panchita’s Place, South Slope, Brooklyn, NYC + Catacombs of Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery

Panchita's place was close to the entrance of Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery, where we were heading to listen to superstar Norwegian violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing performing her Arctic program in the Catacombs. Death of Classical offers this and other unique classical music experiences. The 478-acre cemetery, now a National Historic Landmark, was founded in 1838. It boasts the largest outdoor collections of nineteenth- and twentieth-century mausoleums and statuary. I had Panchit's classico margarita ($14), my dining partner, their generous pour of white sangria ($12). With that, we nibbled their crispy chips with salsa so good we kept getting refills. We tried their Al Pastor Tacos ($14)  and sautèed roasted corn with epazote [...]

By |2023-08-09T13:20:07-04:00August 10th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Birthday Dinner at Bad Roman, Columbus Circle, NYC

To continue my birthday celebration, a group of good friends took me to Bad Roman, the new, impossible-to-get-into restaurant on the third floor of the Shops at Columbus Circle. We got in, as one of my friends is a restaurant trade magazine editor. Bad Roman — part of the Quality Branded restaurant group — is in the former Landmarc space in the former Time-Warner, now the Deutsche Bank Center. It's one of those fun, fashionably trendy places where you rave about the place more than the food. We arrived early to grab a drink. With it 3-deep at the bar, that wasn't happening. We got that drink and enjoyed each [...]

By |2023-08-09T12:18:08-04:00August 8th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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***Happy Hour at Vinateria, Harlem, NYC

At a champagne event earlier this year, I met a new friend who lives uptown, a short walk from Dame Yvette Leeper-Bueno Harlem Restaurant Vinateria. When I learned she hadn't been, we decided to meet there for happy hour.  I laughed as we bumped into two other Dames also there to enjoy Yvette's seasonal Italian and Spanish cuisine and wine. (A Dame, by the way, is a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier, a philanthropic woman's organization. Our mission is to inspire, advance and support women in food, beverage and hospitality to achieve excellence in leadership and philanthropy.) I started with their maple pecan Old Fashioned ($10) while my friend sipped [...]

By |2025-04-14T08:03:29-04:00August 6th, 2023|Happy Hours, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Cucina Alba, The Lantern House, Chelsea, NYC

Since Cucina Alba opened last August in The Lantern House on West 18th Street, my friend, who lives in the building, has been raving about this Italian restaurant from the Prince Street Hospitality Group. When we arrived, she was welcomed like an old friend. We opted for outdoor seating on Tenth Avenue. I began with their pineapple margarita made with tequila reposado ($19); my friend had a mock mojito loaded with fresh mint. We had the crispy roasted artichoke hearts with s garlicky lemon dip ($24) and their unusual eggplant parmigiana ($18). The latter is a thick slice topped with ricotta and parmigiana in a puddle of tomato sauce.  With [...]

By |2023-08-04T16:52:24-04:00August 4th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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This Year’s North River Lobster Boat, Pier 81, NYC

A sail on the North River Lobster boat has been an annual event since it started its excursions in 2014 when the sail was free. This summer, like last, you must buy a $10 timed pass to sail up the Hudson for 1 hour or on the 7 pm cruise for 2 hours, a sail that goes to the Statue of Liberty and back.  This floating lobster shack offers table service with libations. We started with Aperol Spritz ($14), a Frozé (frozen rose) and a blue moon Margarita ($16) before the boat left the dock. This year instead of each of us buying our own classic lobster roll on a [...]

By |2023-07-08T14:45:57-04:00August 2nd, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Dames at the Lookup Rooftop Bar at Kixby, Midtown, NYC

Our New York chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier hosted a midtown rooftop party for other organization members attending the Summer Fancy Food Show at the Javits Center at the Lookup Rooftop Bar. The Kixby hotel generously provided complimentary glasses of bubbles (Cava) to kick off the early evening meetup. Florida Dame Marie Charlotte Piro and her brother, Romain Piro, importers of Tuscan olive oil, treated us to nachos and dips served with seasonal vegetables, tortilla chips & grilled bread. They drizzled each platter with their eponymous rich oil. Those tasty nachos ($15) included spiced tortilla chips topped with chili con carne, green chili beer cheese, pickled onions, pico de gallo, [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:03:06-04:00July 30th, 2023|Big Apple Life, City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rooftop|2 Comments
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Vietnamese Cyclo, Long Island City, Queens

Meeting friends in Long Island City for lunch was my first venture to Queens since the Pandemic. We had decided to meet at Cyclo, a Cheap Eats* casual Thai restaurant on 47th Avenue not far from the Vernon Boulevard-Jackson Avenue stop on the 7. (*I currently define "cheap eats" as a meal under $20). We shared the shrimp summer—rice-paper-wrapped—rolls ($9 per 2) with a spice hoisin-peanut sauce for dipping to start the meal and continue chatting.  The dish to order is their vermicelli noodle salad with grilled pork. In addition to the noodles, that bowl contains green leaf lettuce, bean sprouts, cucumbers, fresh mint and scallions plus pickled daikon and [...]

By |2023-07-29T12:03:42-04:00July 29th, 2023|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Lamano, Chelsea, NYC + Sw!ng Out at the Joyce

We quickly ordered some drinks when we learned it was still happy hour. We decided to try one glass of each of the two sangria offerings—one Cava based, the other a more traditional red ($8). We were two-fisted drinkers. I chose Lamano for its proximity to The Joyce, where we were heading to see their SW!NG OUT performance with audience participation. It was six years ago that I first visited Lamano when it opened. I enjoyed the food then and found it's still just as good. We started with everything on the happy hour menu. That included the pan con tomato ($8 for three pieces) of the tomato bread, their [...]

By |2023-07-29T11:57:10-04:00July 27th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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