NYC Restaurant Reviews

Our New York City restaurant reviews

A Return to the Upscale Indian Restaurant Sona, Gramercy Flatiron, NYC

I returned to Sona, the upscale Indian restaurant on East 20th Street, to celebrate my friend's wedding, which I sadly missed because Camp Grammie happened simultaneously on the opposite side of the country. Sona serves global Indian fare in a comfortable setting with attentive, knowledgeable service. We started with their seasonal version of an Old Fashioned ($19) served in stemless snifters so we could enjoy the aromatic cinnamon stick stirrer. Gobhi is one of my go-to's at Indian restaurants. This version's crispy cauliflower ($18) comes dusted with lentil powder. I'd also recommend their spice-roasted Japanese sweet potatoes (shakarkandi) that sit in a puddle of honey-yogurt flavored with pomegranates ($18). We [...]

By |2023-01-28T11:14:32-05:00January 20th, 2023|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
Read More

A Return to Dame, After Stops at Bobo and Cellar Dog, West Village, NYC

Before dinner at Dame, we stopped at Bobo for their oyster happy hour to start our birthday celebration. We smiled as they brought a lemon tart with a lit candle, along with the $1 happy hour oysters (available 5 pm - 7 pm). We had asked for a candle to be added to the oyster platter, perhaps nestled in the ice, for the birthday girl. From there, we stopped at the renamed Cellar Dog for a couple of ping-pong games and laughed lots as our competitive spirits emerged. And then on to the tiny restaurant Dame for dinner. Dame has a limited menu at this British restaurant with unusually sounding [...]

By |2023-01-28T11:11:24-05:00January 17th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
Read More

Keith McNally Restaurant Group’s Morandi, West Village, NYC

We met in the West Village at one of the Keith McNally Restaurant Group's locations for lunch and catch up. It was my first time at Morandi, not my friend's; it won't be my last as the food and service were both good, just like Minetta Tavern, Balthazar and Pastis! Don't miss the Insalata di Cavolini di Bruxelles, shaved fresh Brussels sprouts, diced apple, bacon bites and grated Parmesan lightly coated in a cider dressing ($21). Our server knew we were sharing everything, so he had the kitchen split the perfectly cooked — al dente — housemade mafalde pasta. Nice touch. It came tossed with sweet sausage chunks, garlicky broccoli rabe [...]

By |2023-01-15T11:49:02-05:00January 12th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
Read More

Scarpetta in the James Nomad Hotel, NOMAD, NYC

A balmy evening allowed us to dine outside comfortably as Scarpetta's guests, there to sample their new fall offerings. Be careful not to fill up on the delicious bread service with three varieties - plain, focaccia and spiraled with cured meat. It's served with olive oil, whipped mascarpone and an irresistible tomato-eggplant mixture. We started with their salad of chicory, sliced roasted apple and pickled cranberries, topped with Parmigiano cheese tossed in a light champagne vinaigrette ($20) plus their signature sushi-grade tuna susci ($27). Their signature spaghetti with tomato basil ($34) arrived tableside under a glass dome. With a purchase of that tasty dish, Scarpetti will donate $1 to the [...]

By |2023-01-15T11:51:47-05:00January 9th, 2023|NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
Read More

Another Holiday Party at Bowery Road, Hyatt Hotel, Village, NYC

My ex.expat group decided to again hold our annual holiday party at Bowery Road in the Hyatt near Union Square. We did so as we were so pleased with our last year's event. This year was just as good! We started with an open bar, offering wine, beer, Prosecco and Aperol spritzers. Apps included their crushed avocado topped with chimichurri, served with seeded corn crackers; roasted beets with citrus supremes and yogurt sprinkled with pumpkin seeds; and burrata with roasted squash and chopped hazelnuts. The staff first served the apps, then placed them on our table for us to enjoy family style as they did our entrees. Our family-style entrees [...]

By |2023-01-15T11:58:40-05:00January 7th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
Read More

Sapphire, UWS, NYC + Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man and the Pool

(Sadly, Sapphire just closed on December 31, 2022.) Sapphire Cuisines of India on the Upper West Side is close enough to the Vivian Beaumont Theater to grab a bite before attending a show. We did just that before seeing Mike Birbiglia in his one-man show. My dining partner noticed some small batch bourbons and ordered Old Fashions for us made with Clyde Mays, an Alabama-style whiskey ($18) that we sipped while topping the crispy flatbread papadum with the two sauces. I'd recommend the Lasuni Gobi ($9), their cauliflower florets batter-fried in a garlic sauce and their fried onion fritters ($9) made using a spiced gram flour batter.    Also good [...]

By |2023-01-15T12:02:31-05:00January 3rd, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|4 Comments
Read More

Ella Social, Upper West Side, NYC + Historical Society

We're always looking for a restaurant to serve a group of at least twenty of us for lunch after one of our Ex.expats of New York monthly outings. This time it was after curator-led tours at the New-York Historical Society. Dr. Wendy Ikemoto, Senior Curator of American Art, took us through the "Scenes of New York: The Elie and Sarah Hirschfeld Collection," followed by Anna Danziger Halperin, Center for Women's History, tour through "The Salem Witch Trials: Reckoning and Reclaiming." We ended up at Ella Social, with the owner being so accommodating for a prefix 3-course lunch with unlimited tea or regular coffee for $35, including tax and tip. A [...]

By |2022-12-30T16:28:11-05:00December 29th, 2022|Big Apple Life, City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
Read More

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
Read More

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
Read More

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
Read More

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
Read More

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
Read More

A Quick Lunch at Jams, Midtown, NYC

We had a short time to grab a bite near my daughter-in-law's hotel before she hailed a taxi to JFK. That's how we ended up at Jam's, Johnathan Waxman's midtown restaurant serving seasonal food. It was unseasonably warm, so we grabbed a table outside. Jams guacamole and chips ($18) were tasty, with flavorful black corn nixtamal chips served with mashed avocado flavored with lots of cilantro and lime. Refreshing, especially after some unripe guac I had had recently at a high-end Mexican chain. I recommend their flavorful multi-colored beet salad containing pomegranate arils, chopped pistachio nuts and fresh arugula in a tahini yogurt. So good, as was the fresh cauliflower [...]

By |2022-12-18T22:48:03-05:00December 12th, 2022|Big Apple Life, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
Read More

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
Read More

Brunch at Miriam, Upper West Side, NYC + Sample Sale

I heard about a sample sale leftover shop on the Upper West Side. I wanted to check it out, so I arranged to meet a friend who lives uptown at Miriam's on Amsterdam Avenue for lunch. I recommend the Mediterranean Salad ($16). It's a combo of avocado and diced veggies wrapped in grilled eggplant strips, sprinkled with sesame seed, za'atar and pita croutons, tossed with light lemon herb vinaigrette and topped with a chunk of French feta. We ordered sides of grilled halloumi ($8) and labneh ($8). Both good. We weren't as fond of the falafel platter ($20) with their not-so-light-and-airy falafel balls, with hummus and Israeli salad with big [...]

By |2022-12-18T23:01:13-05:00December 5th, 2022|NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
Read More

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
Read More

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
Read More

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
Read More

Cafe Fiorello, Lincoln Square, NYC + School of American Ballet

The School of American Ballet (SAB), the most renowned ballet school in the US. founded by George Balanchine in 1934, welcomed my Ex.expat group one morning recently. If you're unfamiliar, SAB has been the official training academy of the New York City Ballet for the past seven decades. Its purpose is "to provide dancers as well trained as any other technician, whether a surgeon, architect or musician." We attended an advanced practice session taught by the amazing Suki Schorer, a Balanchine Trust répétiteur who has turned out ballerinas for over 50 years. From 1959 until 1972, Suki danced with George Balanchine's New York City Ballet. To learn more about SAB, [...]

By |2022-12-04T17:05:59-05:00November 27th, 2022|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
Read More

Brunch at Dame-Owned Vinateria, Harlem, NYC

Like many of the fun Les Dames d'Escoffier conference events, our New York Harlem fund-raiser was sold out. I decided to take a group who hadn't booked in time to Harlem for brunch at Dame Yvette Leeper Bueno's Vinateria, where I'd dined before. (A Dame is a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier.) Brunch entrees include a mimosa, bloody Mary or complimentary coffee or tea. Our group tried their delicious carbonara ($21) with guanciale, egg and Grana Padano; the autumn salad ($15) with roasted squash, carrots, roasted red pepper, apples, candied walnuts, cranberries, feta and chicory; and the house-cured smoked salmon eggs benedict; and the Applewood smoked bacon cheeseburger with fries [...]

By |2022-12-04T17:02:52-05:00November 25th, 2022|NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
Read More
Copyright 2012 - 2021 BiteOfTheBest | All Rights Reserved
Toggle Sliding Bar Area
Go to Top