Big Apple Life

A collection of posts on Life in the Big Apple along with interviews with foodie friends

Flatiron Room, Gramercy-Flatiron, NYC

My friend suggested we go listen to jazz one night, suggesting the Flatiron Room. On 26th Street is this restaurant-club where the groups performs in the background on a velvet-curtained stage and regulars store their bottles of whiskey until they return. Flatiron offers almost 700 bottles of whiskey to choose from including the rare 27-year-old limited-run Glenmorangie Pride priced at about $800 per gram!  I also learned that a private room upstairs offers tastings and classes ($35 to $125). When we sat down at our booth, our waiter Simon pointed out the drinks and bites that were available at Happy Hour prices that  included some drinks and two of the flatbreads until [...]

By |2018-04-07T17:34:32-04:00May 17th, 2018|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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La Mirabelle, Upper West Side, NYC + American Museum of Natural History

After spending a day at The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) seeing many exhibits including the newly opened Unseen Oceans, we slipped out to dinner at La Mirabelle before heading back for Randy Cohen's (original author of The Ethicist for The New York Times) interview with two fascinating museum scientists — venomous sea snail whisperer Mandë Holford and deep-sea evolutionary biologist Mercer R. Brugler — for his Person Place Thing podcast.   I would save a visit to the French bistro La Mirabelle for dining, not grabbing a bite between exhibits.  It's that good. And, to dine according to their menu, you'll each need to have an entree or [...]

By |2018-03-30T09:23:36-04:00May 3rd, 2018|Big Apple Life, Rambling|0 Comments
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310 Bowery Bar, Bowery, NYC

My friends and I ended up at 301 Bowery Bar as guests of my realtor's The Alliance Team for their fun appreciation night. 310 Bowery's pizza is based on that of Chef Nino Coniglio from Williamsburg Pizza who they partnered with when they first opened. They kept it simple, offering only one specialty: Grandma's pie with imported pecorino romano, fresh basil, aged Parmigiano-Reggiano, EVOO, housemade mozzarella and san marzano tomatoes (half $15; full $25). Today you can get pepperoni on that pie or order one of their other specialties. We did -- sampling both the flavorful paisano with added mushrooms, sweet sausage and roasted red peppers and the (too bland for me) bianco, [...]

By |2018-04-01T09:10:00-04:00April 30th, 2018|Big Apple Life, Rambling|0 Comments
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Miznon, Chelsea, NYC

Miznon — also in Tel Aviv, Vienna and Paris — specializes in putting things into a big fat thick amazing pita bread.  When they recently opened inside Chelsea Market, I was invited with many other writers to sample their goodies. While sipping on an Arak Mojito ($11), I sampled a variety of their filled pitas. Arak, BTW, is a distilled spirit with an anise flavor, somewhat similar to absinthe. Back to the main happenings: my two favorites in pita included a blend of wild mushrooms ($11) with scallions and a soupçon of sour cream and, of course, the large deep-fried falafel ($11). Also good are the tender grass-fed minute steak [...]

By |2020-03-02T08:46:58-05:00April 20th, 2018|Big Apple Life|0 Comments
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The Greek, Tribeca, NYC

Recently attended a dinner at The Greek in Tribeca, featuring the wines from Naoussa from the northwest region of Macedonia, Greece. I was introduced to the Xinomavro (tzsee-NOH-mah-vro) varietal, a red wine with great aging potential as it's high in both acid and tannins. Since it's a food friendly-wine (I enjoyed this red wine much better with food!), we sampled the Xinomavro from many vineyards and some cooperatives along with various offerings from The Greek. Those included: Naoussa Kokkinos Winery Mavro Elinos Winery Damascenos Co-op Vaeni Naoussa Argatia Winery Naoussa Reserve Tsantali Winery Grande Reserve Co-op Vaeni Grande Reserve Boutari Winery Naoussa 2000 Co-op Vaeni Food-wise, I'd recommend the tyrokafteri [...]

By |2018-03-29T12:21:18-04:00April 15th, 2018|Big Apple Life, Rambling|0 Comments
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Cookshop, Chelsea, NYC + Yayoi Kusama

Silly New Yorkers. We stood in line out in the cold to see the immersive “Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors” free exhibit in Chelsea as it was closing in two days.  It was worth the wait. Afterward, we headed nearby to Cookshop for a quick bite. We each ordered a bowl of soup — white bean, fennel and escarole — to help warm our innards.  Hearty and good, albeit a bit salty. The moist and tender Albacore tuna came atop broccoli, citrus pieces and a mellow castelvetrano olive relish ($25). We were disappointed in the lack of flavor of the herbed goat cheese served with roasted pears, parsnips and pistachio toast [...]

By |2018-02-28T16:50:24-05:00February 21st, 2018|Big Apple Life, Rambling|0 Comments
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Cafe Frida, Upper West Side, NYC

With both my NYC book groups having discussed Elizabeth Strout's novels (Anything is Possible, My Name is Lucy Barton, Burgess Brothers and Olive Kitteridge that won her the Pulitzer Prize), some of us decided to hear her interviewed at the New York Historical Society. What a waste of time and money. Elizabeth Strout can certainly write, but is a horrid interviewee, giving one-word unrevealing responses. The only good part was her reading excerpts from her books.   A large group of us went out to grab a bite afterward to Cafe Frida about a block away. We sat upstairs unable to hear without shouting. Service was painfully slow. The starter guacamole ($14 [...]

By |2018-01-07T08:57:20-05:00February 10th, 2018|Big Apple Life, Rambling|0 Comments
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Boulud Sud, Lincoln Square, NYC + The Post

After seeing Steven Spielberg’s exhilarating drama “The Post,” starring Meryl Streep as Katharine Graham the Washington Post's publisher and Tom Hanks as Ben Bradlee The Post’s editor in a story about their decision to publish portions of the Pentagon Papers, we looked for a place to get a bite. We walked in and out of restaurants along Broadway and even made a few calls hoping to get in someplace as we hadn't made a res. Since 45 minutes was the least wait, we kept looking. We walked around the corner to 64th, noticed a table in the bar area at Boulud Sud and jumped at it. Wanting only a light bite after the [...]

By |2018-01-14T11:39:28-05:00February 5th, 2018|Big Apple Life, Rambling|0 Comments
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LOX at Café Bergson, Museum of Jewish Heritage, Battery Park

A friend had purchased admissions to the Museum of Jewish Heritage on Battery Park (36 Battery Pl,) and invited me to join. When we arrived, we learned that our IDNY got us each a year's membership, free admission and a discount at the store and restaurant. The museum is located on Battery Place by the water. The museum "features more than 800 artifacts and 2,000 photographs that illustrate Jewish history and highlight personal experience of global significance." We spent a couple hours but hadn't gotten through the three floors, as there's so much to see. Hunger stuck. We heading to the second-floor restaurant LOX, with wonderful iconic views of both [...]

By |2018-01-14T11:38:40-05:00January 27th, 2018|Big Apple Life, Rambling|0 Comments
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Morning Star Restaurant, Upper West Side, NYC

We had tickets to see Juilliard students perform the "New Dances: Edition 2017" at the Peter Jay Sharp theater and needed to find a place for a quick bite as the performance began at 7:30 pm. That job is usually delegated to me. In addition to proximity, I had to be price conscious. I made a reservation at Morning Star Restaurant in Lincoln Square, a diner-like restaurant that answered both concerns even better than I had anticipated. This restaurant offers simple fare. My expectations weren't very high, leaving the bar low. One friend ordered the ziti with eggplant ($17) that came with a fresh garden salad. Two others ordered the [...]

By |2018-01-14T11:38:33-05:00January 25th, 2018|Big Apple Life, Rambling|0 Comments
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How to Get Discount Theatre Tickets

Before I became a full-time New Yorker, I would purchase theatre tickets ahead paying full price or come into the city and roll the dice, hoping I could get what I wanted from the TKTS discount ticket booth. Most out-of-towners are also aware of that Times Square booth that sells same-day matinee and evening tickets. TKTS also has outposts at Lincoln Center, at South Street Seaport and in Downtown Brooklyn that sell same-day evening and next-day matinee ones. You can select your seats when you buy them. When I moved to Gotham, I learned of many other ways to get show tickets — both on and off Broadway — without paying full [...]

By |2018-01-22T10:06:09-05:00January 23rd, 2018|Big Apple Life, Other happenings, Theatre|0 Comments
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Oaxaca Taqueria, Upper West Side, NYC

We needed a place on the Upper West Side near the Hayden Planetarium, as we were off to a 40th anniversary celebration of the Voyager I and II spacecrafts. The event also celebrated a a new musical piece by Gerald Cohen for clarinet and string quartet based on selections from the Golden Record, a phonograph record included on each Voyager launched in 1977.  We listened to that as we observed the "flight" of the night sky.  Back to the food. I was with a friend who always recommends good cheap eats, who suggested meeting at Oaxaca Taqueria a small eatery on Amsterdam not far from the American Museum of Natural History. [...]

By |2017-12-24T13:16:47-05:00January 15th, 2018|Big Apple Life, Rambling|0 Comments
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Pershing Square, Midtown, NYC

Pershing Square is quite noticeable across the street from Grand Central Station (GCS) under the overpass. I never ate there until recently when I met a friend for breakfast, first at the classic meeting place — the clock in GCS — then heading there to this bustling American-style cafe. Love the warm atmosphere and friendly service. I had their farm fresh eggs my way (poached) with extra-crispy bacon, home fries and rye toast ($16); my friend had the fluffy buttermilk pancakes served with maple syrup (the real stuff, Grade A), with fresh berries on the side ($17). Both were worth returning for -- at an ideal location for meeting someone near [...]

By |2017-11-24T08:20:05-05:00January 9th, 2018|Rambling|0 Comments
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NoHo Star, NoHo, NYC

It's too late now to try the decades-old neighborhood NoHo Star as it shuttered its doors on New Year's Eve. I made a point of stopping by as I hadn't tried their purportedly best Caesar salad in the city. One afternoon, I lunched with a couple friends. Our salads arrived with the raw (pasteurized) egg in the middle of torn romaine.The waiter showed it, then tossed it. Really good Caesar although my table-mates wanted less dressing and more grated cheese and anchovies. We also shared a burger and fries. The salad was better. If you missed, you'll just have to look at Instagram photos and dream. NoHo Star 330 Lafayette Street New [...]

By |2018-01-07T09:00:01-05:00January 7th, 2018|Big Apple Life, Rambling|0 Comments
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Lam Zhou Handmade Noodle & Dumpling, Chinatown, NYC

I often do Manhattan on the cheap. This time I combined a morning at the free Louis Vuitton exhibition downtown with an under $20 meal uptown a tad in Chinatown. If you're heading to the Louis Vuitton (86 Trinity Place), be sure to make a reservation. I suggest doing it without the guided tour. We found the docents in each room quite informative, much better than the tour guide. Go soon, as it closed January 7. We walked uptown from the exhibition to the new location of Lam Zhou on Bowery. This one with 40 seats is much larger than the original one but the same inexpensive good food. Although chopsticks made [...]

By |2017-12-22T15:29:56-05:00December 27th, 2017|Big Apple Life, Rambling|0 Comments
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Ivan Ramen, Lower East Side, NYC + (The Band’s Visit)

I headed downtown to a press event at Ivan Ramen after seeing The Band's Visit on Broadway — the musical about the Egyptian Police Band mistakenly ending up in a remote Israeli village with no bus until morning and no hotel nearby. In this based on a true story, the musicians are taken in by the locals. (Click here for review on Theater Pizzazz.) The event at Ivan Ramen was to celebrate the November Anime NYC’s Ramen Summit, a dedicated celebration of Japanese animation and culture. Ivan Orkin, a Long Island Jewish guy who's the man behind Ivan Ramen, sat with us and shared his story of living in Japan and opening [...]

By |2017-11-19T17:41:49-05:00December 17th, 2017|Rambling, Theatre|0 Comments
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Bluebell Cafe, Gramercy, NYC + The Box

We went for a bite to eat at the Bluebell Cafe after seeing The Box Show — one woman (Dominique Salerno) hilariously performing over 25 characters from inside a small  3' x 3'x 2' box — at the People's Improv Theatre on 24th Street. We found Bluebell Cafe, a warm friendly restaurant that's so accommodating. We were four and each wanted to share, as women often do. They were so eager to please, giving each of us a half an order of their creamy cauliflower soup  ($10 a bowl) from the special of the day. If offered,  I'd recommend that! For entrees, we tried the salmon ($23), cooked medium-rare as requested, with [...]

By |2017-11-06T08:36:37-05:00December 13th, 2017|Rambling, Theatre|0 Comments
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Feinstein’s/54 Below, Midtown, NYC + Ben Vereen

My friend invited me to join her at Feinstein's/54 Below nightclub for opening night of the Ben Vereen show Thanksgiving weekend. Ben is the Tony and Drama Desk Award winner for his performance in Bob Fosse’s Pippin. Some of this other credits include Wicked, I’m Not Rappaport, Chicago, Hair, Fosse and Jesus Christ Superstar. The New York Times wrote that “Mr. Vereen is a song and dance man who never lets up.” Ben Vereen, now 71, was exactly as the Times described. Quite the showman. (Click here for a complete review on Theater Pizzazz.) 54 Below is also a supper club, offering dinner and drinks. I tried my waiter's suggestion of their fettuccine Bolognese, made [...]

By |2017-11-28T14:37:25-05:00November 28th, 2017|Big Apple Life, Rambling|0 Comments
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Novita, Flatiron, NYC

A man on a train recommended Novita. We started talking on the Amagansett platform and continued until we arrived at Jamaica Station. When we talked food, he recommended his favorite Italian restaurant in my hood that I had somehow missed. I had to try it. It's a dimly lit, white-tablecloth restaurant with a professional (from what I observed) male waitstaff, sporting the white apron and a smile. We started by splitting what the menu called salmon salad. This dish included chunks of grilled salmon tossed with fingerling potatoes, olives and haricot vert ($14); it's almost a meal in itself. Knowing we were sharing, our waiter had offered to have the [...]

By |2025-05-31T07:33:23-04:00November 13th, 2017|Rambling|0 Comments
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33 Greenwich, West Village, NYC + FIT Museum

After moving to the big apple, I created a Google map with restaurants that I want to try so that when someone says, "Where shall we eat?" I look at the map and locate a place somewhat nearby where we are going. In this walking city, that restaurant could be a mile or so away! That's how we ended up at 33 Greenwich restaurant after seeing the Force of Nature, the current exhibit at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) Seventh Avenue at 27 Street. The exhibit examines how the beauty of the natural world has inspired fashion designers for centuries. This one runs through November 18; [...]

By |2017-11-24T08:52:51-05:00November 1st, 2017|Big Apple Life, Rambling|1 Comment
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