City Bites

The best City Bites from New York

Marseille, Hell’s Kitchen, New York City (Once)

Marseille, France's most Moroccan-influenced city, is a restaurant in Hell's Kitchen that I recommend. It's a place to have brunch, al fresco dining or a quick bite on way to theatre. This time, I stopped in on my way to see Once, the 11-time, Tony-nominated new musical based on the Academy Award-winning film. I skipped the meze — a classic at this French-Moroccan restaurant — and opted for the lightly charred octopus tossed with shreds of tomato and  shaved fennel, topped with crispy shoestring potatoes, drizzled with paprika oil ($13.50); and a huge bowl of moules ($19.50) in a light white wine, garlic and tomato broth, served with a side [...]

By |2017-09-07T15:32:38-04:00June 7th, 2012|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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Blue Fin, Times Square (Priscilla Queen of the Desert) , NYC

Blue Fin's location in the W Times Square is ideal for pre-theatre — or just people watching from its glass-enclosed street level bar right across from TKTS booth. We were on our way to see the fun "Priscilla Queen of the Desert" that has audiences dancing in their seats that was showing across the street at the Palace theatre. We happened there during winter restaurant week with a $35 dinner deal. Also at $35 were two selections of wine. We opted both deals: the Jean Aubron muscadet, from the Loire Valley, 2009 and an order of the price-fix menu. The waiter placed a bowl full of diced crisp veggies with [...]

By |2017-09-04T18:50:31-04:00February 11th, 2012|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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La Rivage + “Other Desert Cities”

I'm always trying restaurants around the theatre district when seeing something on Broadway, as people habitually ask where to dine before curtain time. Recently I ate at La Rivage on 46th Street, before heading to the Booth Theater (222 West 45th Street, 212.239.6200) to Jon Robin Baitz's Other Desert Cities. The cast of Stockard Channing, Stacy Keach, Rachel Griffiths, Judith Light and Thomas Sadoski work as an perfectly oiled ensemble in this not-to-be-missed riveting play. The vintage-1958 French restaurant La Rivage offers a prix-fix lunch. The $25 three-course menu, including coffee, is a bargain with decent food and attentive service. The food is nothing to rave about, but is just [...]

By |2017-09-04T18:49:53-04:00December 3rd, 2011|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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Ember Room, Hell’s Kitchen, NYC (Rock of Ages)

Hell's Kitchen offers many reasonably priced restaurant to stop for a pretheatre bite, with the Ember Room one of them. We stopped there before seeing the thigh-slapping, toe-tapping Rock of Ages (nominated for five Tony awards)  playing at the Helen Hayes theatre. I recommend that highly! The Ember Room was still offering New York Restaurant week's 3-course, but their Pre Theatre Menu — also with three courses — caught our eye. Instead of the $35, it was only $22. (The food prices listed are the ala carte ones.) We opted to choose from that, which offered the same food in smaller portions. Great for the waistline. We sampled Thai Pastrami [...]

By |2017-09-07T14:49:01-04:00September 26th, 2011|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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A Buffet at The Peninsula Hotel

I recently had the most delicious black cod with veggies. Oddly it wasn't at a Manhattan restaurant , but at a buffet at an event at the Peninsula Hotel introducing the Sharp 2-in-1, a double function vacuum. All editors in attendance, oohed and aahed over the food on the buffet - a very odd happening as most hotel event buffets are often not even worth eating. This food was both fabulously presented and prepared.  I enjoyed each and every dish as if I were in a multi-star NYC restaurant, going back for seconds of the black cod and veggies. If you happen to need a place for a function, be [...]

By |2017-10-22T14:58:38-04:00February 3rd, 2011|City Bites, xyz misc|2 Comments
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Tastings at Murray’s Grand Central Terminal

Celebrate fall this September with delicious tastings and special offerings from Grand Central Terminal's Murray's Cheese. They will be hosting tastings of seasonal, artisanal products throughout the month at events that are open to the public. Experience Larchmont Charcuterie Hot Dogs on September 21, 3-7 pm. Hand-crafted in Westchester County, these hot dogs have an even, rich flavor and a snappy casing. Packages of 8 are on sale in September for $6.99. Or try the Madeleine cheese from Sprout Creek Farm, a raw goat's milk tomme produced in Poughkeepsie between August and March. It's flaky, moist and herbaceous; available for $33/lb. Other sale items throughout September include: Parmigiano Reggiano, regularly [...]

By |2017-10-22T14:59:13-04:00September 20th, 2010|City Bites|0 Comments
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Tahini for Falafel, Cheap Eats in NYC

Tahini (also known as Edna's Falafel Shop) serves up freshly made versions of that Middle Eastern dish of spiced mashed chickpeas that are formed into balls, deep-fried. You can have the falafel as a salad ($7) with a mixed greens, as a platter (8.95) or in pita bread topped with tahini, the tasty sesame seed paste sauce ($4.45). If you've never sampled the fried chickpea blend, I'm sure it sounds a tad odd.... but believe me it's a filling, delicious tasting cheap eat...  even in Manhattan. - bonnie Tahini 23 Third Avenue (between St. Marks & 9th) New York, NY 10003 212.254.0300 www.tahininyc.com

By |2017-10-22T15:09:20-04:00June 26th, 2010|City Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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China Grill‎, for Pre-Theatre (Come Fly Away)

Unfortunately, it was after ordering that I learned that the portions at China Grill are large enough for more than two — something our waitress might have mentioned had she not been attending to a party of 12 at a nearby table.  We ordered way too much food, thinking we could easily just share an appetizer, salad and entree. The Crackling Calamari Salad ($22) — a heaping mound of lettuces in a lime miso dressing with calamari pieces — illustrates the blend of ingredients used from around the globe in the China Grill dishes.  The squid pieces are lightly coated before frying, resulting in crisp tender, delicate morsels. The Lobster Pancakes [...]

By |2017-09-04T19:18:28-04:00June 3rd, 2010|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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Bar Centrale, A NYC Hidden Treasure

You'll need to know the location of Bar Centrale next door to Joe Allen’s, a neighborhood theatre-area hangout to find it...but once you do reservations are a must.(HINT: it's right next door to Joe Allen's, up the stairs of a Victorian brownstone and through unmarked wooden doors.) It's a perfect après-theatre place for a star-sightings or a nibble — the menu includes  appetizers, salads, sandwiches and mini pizzas. Both the watercress beet and smoked trout salad and the goat cheese pizza were divine.  Black and white movies play on the TV above the bar (an old Ronald Reagan movie played when I visited) while there's jazz in the background And [...]

By |2017-10-22T14:59:46-04:00May 28th, 2010|City Bites, Recipes, Starters|2 Comments
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Sosa Borella in the Theatre District (A View From The Bridge)

Reading about Sosa Borella online, you'll find lots of references to it being "authentic Italian-Argentinian cuisine." The Santi '08 Veneto Pinot Grigio ($48) was Italian, but to me the rest of the fare leans more south of the equator. The dish I'd recommend is the bife alla sosa borella ($32). A grilled natural corn-fed tender strip steak topped with chimichurri and served with fries. We chose this restaurant mainly to be close to the Cort Theater to see a preview performance of  Arther Miller's "A View from the Bridge." (The show opened January 24 for a fourteen-week limited engagement.) Liev Schreiber plays Eddie Carbone, a Brooklyn longshoreman who is obsessed [...]

By |2017-09-04T18:37:41-04:00February 19th, 2010|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|2 Comments
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A Stepback in Time: Barbetta & “Hair”

Barbetta has three "oldest" distinctions: it's the oldest restaurant in New York that is still owned by the family who founded it, oldest Italian restaurant in New York, and the oldest restaurant in New York's Theatre District. It's truly a step back in time, as it's also old-world elegance, attentive service and old-style food. If you go pre-theatre, ask for the a la carte menu (unless you're up for a 4-course $58 meal). We shared, beginning with a bottle of  Barbera d'Asti Cascina Castle't DOC 2008, ($40), which worked well with each of our courses. Our fabulous waiter first brought out a sample of the Rollatine of Piedmontese Robiola in [...]

By |2017-09-07T14:55:04-04:00February 16th, 2010|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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Gaby Bar for a Pre-Theatre-Area (Mine) Nibble

Locating a quiet place to get a drink and nibble before theatre isn't easy, as most New York City places are bustling with crowds. The Gaby Bar at Hotel Sofitel is an exception, albeit a pricey one. I stopped by the Gaby Bar recently with a friend after a press screening of the powerful documentary "Mine," about the bond between humans and animals — set in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. This movie, directed by Geralyn Pezanoski, won the Audience Award at both the SXSW Film Festival, and San Francisco Documentary Festival. Worth seeing for sure! We each sipped a glass of Lafite Reserve, Speciale Bordeaux Blanc [...]

By |2017-09-04T18:36:51-04:00February 12th, 2010|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|3 Comments
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Culinary Boot Camp

Schenectady County’s first-ever culinary “Boot Camp” will take place January 4-6, 2010. It's a three-day, two-night culinary workshop, offering food lovers and novices the opportunity to learn classic cooking techniques, taste ingredients, and share experiences with fellow foodies. The Boot Camp workshops will be taught by Culinary instructor Christopher Tanner — a Certified Executive Chef, a Certified Hospitality Educator with the American Hotel & Lodging Association and an ACF Approved Culinary Judge — will be the instructor. In this  “A Taste of Tuscany” boot camp, you'll learn about traditional Italian cuisine, including classic ingredients, antipasti, primi (pasta, polenta & risotto), pairing wine and preparing desserts. Brief seminars blended with extensive hands-on cooking [...]

By |2017-10-22T15:01:47-04:00December 21st, 2009|City Bites, USA Travel|0 Comments
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Steak Frites For Burgers and Beer

Sometimes a burger and fries just hits the spot! Okay, okay it often does, but I know that juicy sandwich and crispy potatoes are high in fat and cholesterol, so I don't indulge too often. I tripped over Steak Frites one afternoon as a friend and I were looking for something to satisfy our hunger. We noticed a menu board outside boasting "$8.95 burger and beer at the bar," looked at each other, walked right, sat at the bar and ordered that incredible meal deal. Don't go running over there expecting the $9 incredible bargain. A restaurant spokesperson explained that the restaurant was loosing money on that offer, as they [...]

By |2017-10-22T15:01:51-04:00December 8th, 2009|City Bites, USA Restaurants|3 Comments
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The Bloody Mary, 75 Years Old

On October 5th, right after New York City’s mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg declared it Bloody Mary Day,  I — and about a hundred others — were invited by Paul Nash ( the general manager of the St. Regis Hotel in New York City)  to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Bloody Mary at the  King Cole Bar. According to the folks at the St. Regis, the drink began as the “Red Snapper” cocktail in 1934 when bartender Fernand Petiot concocted it for one of his vodka-loving clients who asked him to recreate a tomato juice cocktail he'd had in Paris. At that time, the name “Bloody Mary” was deemed too [...]

By |2017-10-22T15:02:20-04:00October 15th, 2009|City Bites, Rambling, Recipes, Starters, USA Restaurants|0 Comments
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New York Edition: A Second Helping of Life

Share's sixth annual A Second Helping of Life, held on September 21st at Pier 60 at Chelsey Piers with over 700 attendees (New York City) raised $405,000 for SHARE to provide peer support for women living with breast or ovarian cancer. The event — successfully coordinated by M. Young Communications  — featured 25 of New York's female chefs, guest female mixologists, actresses, editors and 22 fine wines and spirits all who donated their time, talents and products to support SHARE, a not for profit organization run by ovarian and breast cancer survivors. I ran into actress Kathleen Chalfant, an incredibly talented actress who I had seen on stage at Long [...]

By |2017-10-22T15:02:32-04:00October 13th, 2009|City Bites, Rambling, USA Restaurants|2 Comments
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New York Edition: Bite for a Nibble

I needed a light lunch in the big apple to get me through the afternoon as I was meeting friends for dinner at Insieme at The Michelangelo Hotel much later that day. (Stay tuned for that review!) Bite delivered a delicious, satisfying meal that won't break any budget. I tried the Mediterranean Salad ($7). A huge bowl of baby greens topped with fresh hummus, grilled eggplant, roasted pepper tapenade, chopped salad, roasted almonds and pine nuts, served with grilled pita. Everything tasted freshly prepared. I tried the location on 14th street, but they also have one at 335 Lafayette Street at Bleecker. - bonnie bite 211 East 14th Street New [...]

By |2017-10-22T15:10:11-04:00September 16th, 2009|City Bites|0 Comments
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Triomphe, New York City — in the Theatre District (God of Carnage)

A friend suggested trying Triomphe in the renovated Iroquois Hotel when we were discussing pre-theatre dining options. Theatre — by the way — was the not-to-be-missed "God of Carnage," the Tony Award winning play with Marcia Gay Harden, James Gandolfini, Hope Davis, and Jeff Daniels.  The show won the best play, the best performance by a leading actress (Marcia Gay Harden) and best director (Matthew Warchus). The play has been aptly described as a "comedy of manners without the manners."  It's about parents who meet to discuss the school-playground fight between their sons. Back to to food at Triomphe: It's simple, generally good, and somewhat understated. The wine list is [...]

By |2017-09-04T19:05:23-04:00July 22nd, 2009|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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