City Bites

The best City Bites from New York

Katsuya, Manhattan West, NYC + Citizens

An invitation came for the opening of Citizens Marketplace at 398 Tenth Avenue. Like Urban Hawker, it is a food court. The difference is this one is anchored by two upscale restaurants, the Spanish Casi Dani and Katsuya sushi. I was invited to stay to sample the latter after their open house.  I do recommend their delicious grilled octopus ($27), their highly seasoned edamame ($13) and their crispy and crunch Japanese slaw ($19) with chicken in an umeboshi dressing. I'd go back just for the latter. Also impressive is their sashimi. It was tender, sweet and buttery; especially the toro, reported my sushi-eating dining mate. We sampled the Tuna Belle [...]

By |2022-12-30T16:35:52-05:00December 26th, 2022|City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Nubeluz Rooftop Bar in The Ritz, NoMad, NYC

Nubeluz is from the Spanish words for cloud (nube) and light (luz). It's the name of the Ritz-Carlton NoMad's swanky rooftop bar with incredible city views and a unique take on cocktails from José Andrés, who also opened Zaytinya on the ground floor. The bar opened in July at the corner of Broadway and 28th street. Nubelez tries to keep it mysterious. The hostess, dressed in a gold lamè short cocktail dress, will have you wait after you've stopped at the stand to give your name -- even if you have a reservation and the rooftop is not fully committed. It's how they've been trained. Once the hostess decides to [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:03:34-04:00December 23rd, 2022|Big Apple Life, City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rooftop|0 Comments
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Keith McNally’s Minetta Tavern, Greenwich Village, NYC

The high-end French bistro, Minetta Tavern, originally opened in 1937, was named after the eponymous Brook that ran southwest from 23rd Street to the Hudson River. Various writers — Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, Eugene O'Neill, E. E. Cummings, Dylan Thomas, and Joe Gould — frequented the tavern. Today it still has vintage decor, a warm vibe and friendly service. While sipping our hearty cocktails — my Bulleit Old Fashioned, one friend's Cosmo and Lemon Drop ($21 each), we nibbled their warm loaf of bread. Dangerously, addictive. Two of us indulged in their acclaimed burger and fries. Since we couldn't decide between the regular Minetta burger ($31) topped with Cheddar or [...]

By |2023-01-02T14:02:52-05:00December 21st, 2022|Big Apple Life, City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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This Time Dinner at Electric Lemon, Hudson Yards, NYC

I've been recommending Electric Lemon on the 24th floor of the Equinox Hotel at Hudson Yards since I tasted their crab in a crunchy ginger dressing. It was that good. We started with that crab ($24) and added the cauliflower flatbread ($20) topped with hummus, sun-dried tomatoes and herbs and a bottle of Sancerre, Noël et Jean-Luc Raimbault 2021 ($78) One entree was better than the next. The juicy chicken sat atop ($34) a flavorful blend of veggies; the halibut atop a pool of beans topped with mustard greens; and the tender dry-aged duck over honey and plum-sweetened freekeh. Each worth going back for. Skip the polenta fries — it's [...]

By |2024-09-12T11:38:18-04:00December 18th, 2022|City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|2 Comments
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Aldo Solm Wine Bar, Midtown, NYC + Leopoldstadt

Urban Hawkers didn't cut it for us, as we both prefer being served to food courts. That's how we ended up at Aldo Salm, the casual wine bar across the alley from Le Bernardin serving light French fare. I'd expect a server to provide a clean glass for sampling each wine at a wine bar. Not! Our waiter oddly used one wine glass for sampling two wines. We ended up with the crisp Fiano, Ciro Picariello, Irpinia, Campania ‘21 ($14), which worked with the whole roasted cauliflower with chimichurri sauce ($18) and the duck confit ($26) over highly dressed frisée and watercress with thinly sliced fennel and radishes. I wished [...]

By |2022-12-18T22:45:41-05:00December 15th, 2022|NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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Serra by Birreria on Eataly Rooftop, Flatiron, NYC

A trip to the original Eataly on 23rd Street with lunch on their scenic rooftop was the final stop before my Dame friends departed after our October international Les Dames d'Escoffier conference. Being our last meal together this time, we asked our waiter to serve our order in courses so we could linger. And we ordered their special "$39 Bottle" red, their Pietro Beconcini Antiche Vie Chianti, Tuscany. He first served us the Gnocchi al Pomodoro ($19) and the Insalata del Mercat ($16). The salad blended Lani's Farm lettuces and shaved  carrots and fennel in a red wine vinaigrette. We wished we had bread to sop up the tomato-basil sauce [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:03:49-04:00December 9th, 2022|City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rooftop|0 Comments
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Jasmine’s Caribbean Cuisine Theatre District, NYC + Six

Jasmine's brings Caribbean flavor to Restaurant Row. We stopped in after seeing the spectacular, just over an hour musical Six, about the six wives of Henry VIII at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on 47th. Our server greeted us with a big Caribbean-style smile as we entered Jasmine's, a part Jamaican restaurant around the corner from that theatre. Their attentively made drinks are good. There's an oversized salt-rimmed Margie ($17), a tall mojito ($16) swimming in fresh mint and a mule ($15) in a copper cup with a cinnamon stick.    The food is more uneven. Don't, though, miss their spicy and piquant jerk wings. The kitchen has a heavy hand with [...]

By |2022-12-05T08:52:21-05:00December 3rd, 2022|NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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Cull & Pistol Oyster Bar, Chelsea Market, NYC

A cull is a lobster that's lost one of its claws; a pistol is one that lost both claws, usually due to predators. The Cull & Pistol is a Michelin-recommended seafood restaurant located in the heart of Chelsea Market. My friend, who recently moved to the nearby Lantern, frequents them weekly for their dozen varieties of oysters on the half-shell offered half-price happy hour during happy hour from 4 to 6 pm Monday through Friday. That's why she skipped the oysters as we met for lunch, not happy hour, with Dames in from out of town for our Les Dames d'Escoffier conference. To start, we shared their frito misto with [...]

By |2022-12-05T08:49:56-05:00December 1st, 2022|City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Misirizzi, NoHO, NYC + Raisin in the Sun

Misirizzi on East 4th Street is a small Italian restaurant with friendly, knowledgeable service and good food. And it's around the corner from The Public, where we saw Raisin in the Sun. This powerful play, first introduced in 1959, is about a family's experiences with racism and housing discrimination as they try to improve their lives.  Since it was a warm fall evening, we ate outside and decided that when we returned, we'd sit inside by the fireplace. I recommend the julienned endive, crumbled gorgonzola, candied walnuts and sliced pear ($14) salad. Also tasty is the baked butternut squash, escarole and chickpeas with Ricotta Salata ($14).  Don't miss their homemade lasagna [...]

By |2022-10-30T20:33:41-04:00November 29th, 2022|Big Apple Life, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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Lafayette, NoHo, NYC + Baldwin and Buckley

Pre-COVID, I have had some decent meals, including a fun birthday at Lafayette, Andrew Carmelini’s French restaurant in NoHo. We stopped in for brunch one rainy day before heading to The Public to see Baldwin and Buckley. For a review of that show, click here. We appreciated the good vibe as we lucked out being seated in a corner banquette away from the noise. Four of us started with purportedly spicy bloody Marys ($17). Other than the composed Niçoise Salad garnished with rare tuna, anchovies and an egg ($36), the rest of the food was plebeian at best.  The smoked salmon Benedict ($30) was okay. The shakshuka was overcooked, resulting in [...]

By |2022-11-20T17:35:34-05:00November 12th, 2022|NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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Giardino 54, Hells Kitchen, NYC + Los Otros, The Musical

We chose Giardino 54 for its proximity to A.R.T./New York Theatres, where we were seeing the musical Los Otros with music by Michael John LaChiusa, who we bumped into at the performance. Los Otros is a musical about love, risk and revelation told through two characters who explore significant moments in their lives. I recommend. I started lunch at Giardino 54 with a glass of their on-tap Vicentini Agostino Valpolicella, Vento 2019 ($10), reminiscent of Italian house wine. They also offer a white — Trebbiano, Poderi Dal Nespoli IGT, 2017 — on tap. Our friendly, attentive waiter served us an olive oil-balsamic mixture for dipping the bread. I tried their [...]

By |2022-10-20T08:55:21-04:00October 22nd, 2022|NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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A return to Shukette, Chelsea, NYC + MJ The Musical

Our afternoon started on our feet, applauding the amazing performances in MJ the Musical  — telling the story of Michael Jackson — at the Neil Simon theatre. It won four Tony awards, including best actor in a musical (Myles Frost) and best choreography (Christopher Wheeldon). I highly recommend. From there, we headed downtown to 24th Street and Ninth Avenue for an early dinner at Shukette, serving the creative cooking of Brooklyn-born Chef Ayesha J. Nurdjaja. The name is from the Hebrew word for an open-air market, shuk. Again, we were seated inside, at the front of the restaurant, yet this time not surrounded by others. The noise was much easier [...]

By |2022-10-09T09:42:21-04:00October 7th, 2022|NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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Swagat, Upper West Side, NYC + Shakespeare in the Park: As You Like it

Swagat is a small and cozy Indian restaurant on the Upper West Side, a good spot to dine before heading to the Delacorte to see "As You Like it," one of this year's two productions of Shakespeare in the Park as it's about a half-mile walk to the theatre.  Swagat, a Hindu word meaning "welcome," is a sister to Madam Ji, another Indian place I've enjoyed. Their aloo papri chat ($12) — a traditional Indian street snack — contained crunchy flour crispies with potatoes, chickpeas and flour straws with mint, tamarind and tamarind sauces. Their crispy cauliflower (lasuni gobi $10) comes tossed in a tangy garlic and tomato sauce. Don't [...]

By |2022-09-22T07:06:37-04:00September 19th, 2022|Big Apple Life, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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Mels, Chelsea, NYC + Fat Ham at the Public

We finally were able to get a res at the very popular Mel's on Tenth Avenue, owned by Michelin-decorated Chef fellow Dame Melissa Rodriguez. I started with their Old Fashioned made with bourbon, cognac and amaro ($18) while my dining partner had a Cosmo ($18). We liked the flavor and heat from the chilies of the charred shrimp with a small fresh herb salad ($24), yet wished the crustacean hadn't been overcooked. We followed that with a tasty gem lettuce salad with fresh mint and grilled and marinated burrata also with heat chilis ($18). Of course, we had to try one of the pizzas. We opted for the tomato sauce [...]

By |2022-08-14T07:57:46-04:00August 10th, 2022|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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Food Tour of Arthur Avenue, The Bronx with Susan Birnbaum

The first stop on our tour was for Albanian spinach burek (byrek, burek, börek), the classic Albanian stuffed fillo at Tony & Tina's Pizzeria, 2483 Arthur Ave, 718.733.8094. We spent lots of time with Dave at Mike's Deli inside the Arthur Avenue Retail Market, 2344 Arthur Ave, 718.295.5033, where he showed us how to make both fresh mozzarella and burrata, the soft shell wrapped around a creamy center of torn mozzarella strings and cream. We sampled many types of fresh cheeses plus their house-made pasta in tomato sauce.     We picked up some sliced sausage from Calabria Pork Store, 2338 Arthur Avenue, 718.367.5145, famous for their homemade fresh and [...]

By |2022-08-18T12:12:09-04:00August 4th, 2022|Big Apple Life, City Bites, NYC Best Bites, Other happenings|0 Comments
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Mémé Mediterranean, Hells Kitchen, NYC + Plaza Suite

Mémé Mediterranean restaurant in Hell's Kitchen is named after brothers Alon and Jacob Cohen's mother, as it is French Moroccan for Grandma. There's also a West Village location. My dining mates started with Cava Rose Spritz  with Mezzodi liqueur, Pamplemousse liqueur, grapefruit juice and Cava Rose ($18). I recommend the nicely balanced Mémé's Manhattan ($17) with bourbon, rum, vermouth and crème de pêche to bourbon lovers. Our least favorite of the evening was their roasted cauliflower, which took more than 30 minutes to come out of the kitchen, especially compared to that version we devoured at Gupshup. They season that dish with Maghreb  (African) spices and lemon tahini ($14). Mémé's is [...]

By |2022-07-11T13:09:46-04:00July 9th, 2022|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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P.J. Clarke’s-Lincoln Square, Lincoln Center, NYC + Epiphany

We chose P.J. Clarke's for its proximity to the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center. We were seeing Epiphany, a well-acted confusing, quirky and slow 2-hour show sans intermission about a group who reunited at a dinner party during a snow storm. Lunch at P.J. Clarke's wasn't much better. I've restrained myself from writing negative restaurant write-ups since the start of COVID, as my heart goes out to restaurant owners dealing with the pandemic trick-down effects. That said, I have to share. My dining partner chose a cheese-topped burger with crispy fries ($21); I opted to try their beer battered fish 'n chips with tartar sauce and malt vinegar [...]

By |2022-07-05T12:28:40-04:00July 1st, 2022|NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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Return for Brunch to Marseille, Hell’s Kitchen, NYC + POTUS

Marseilles, the French brasserie in Hell's Kitchen where we stopped for brunch before theatre, is generally consistent — ideally located down 44th Street from the Shubert Theater where we saw POTUS, the farcical show about the women behind the President that had us belly laughing. I recommend. Seems we misread the menu, thinking the bloody Mary's ($12) we ordered were part of their $21 bottomless brunch drinks with the purchase of an entree. Our waiter corrected us after ordering our second, saying that the offering was only for their mimosas. One friend started with the four white asparagus ($17.00) topped with tiny morel mushrooms and sprinkled with almond dukkah (a [...]

By |2022-05-29T09:35:32-04:00June 29th, 2022|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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A Return to Wagamama, Midtown, NYC + Golden Shield

One location of Wagamama, the British restaurant chain serving Asian food based on Japanese cuisine, is across the street from City Center where we were heading to see "Golden Shield," playwright Anchuli Felicia King's new work about loyalties, intrigue and the art of translation. Nothing to to out of your way for. My go-to dish is always their spicy bang bang cauliflower ($8.50) as the well-seasoned florets never disappoint. I expected their bold and fiery firecracker chicken to be spicy. Not spicy, yet flavorful. The small chunks of chicken with bell peppers, chilies and scallions surrounded a serving of white rice, were missing the menu-stated snow peas ($18). My friend [...]

By |2022-06-19T10:24:55-04:00June 15th, 2022|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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AnTalia NYC, Midtown, NYC + Fran Lebowitz

We chose the Turkish restaurant AnTalia for its proximity to Town Hall where we were seeing the irreverent humorist Fran Lebowitz. As traditional in Turkish meals, we started with a mezze. That's a selection of small dishes served with bread, traditionally pita. We chose their tzatziki (chopped cucumbers with garlic and dill in yogurt), the pureed grilled eggplant and — my favorite — the spicy veggie dip made from tomatoes, green peppers, walnuts and pepper sauce (three for $21). One dining partner tried their classic vertically grilled lamb gyro ($22.50) served with tomato sauce, yogurt and pita, that needed more bread (+$1.75). Another had their whole char-grilled branzino (Mediterranean seabass or [...]

By |2022-05-24T06:46:19-04:00May 16th, 2022|NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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