NYC Restaurant Reviews

Our New York City restaurant reviews

The Library at The Public, East Village, NYC + Cullud Wattah

The Library at The Public is the perfect place for a bite before theater there, especially on a cold winter's night. Being smart, that's what we did before seeing the show. Cullud Wattah is about an intergenerational household of Black women dealing with the Flint water crisis. I sipped a glass of the Library's Sauvignon Blanc, Grand Moulin Touraine 2020, France ($18) and shared Joe’s Burger ($24) that came topped with caramelized onions, bacon and cheddar cheese. It also came with a huge serving of shoestring fries that we shared with the table. Our vegan dining partner enjoyed the fried Brussel sprouts, without the bacon ($14), another had their hearty fried [...]

By |2022-01-02T10:51:56-05:00January 19th, 2022|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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Happy Hour at Temerario, Chelsea, NYC + The Joyce (Not!)

We met at Temerario for a quick bite near the Joyce Theater where we were off to a contemporary ballet that evening. I knew the food would be good, having been before. We lucked out, arriving near the end their daily happy hour (4 to 6:30 daily) and quickly ordered. The sangria ($8) was good, as was the passion fruit margarita ($9) and the smoky & spicy one ($10). We shared guacamole topped with crispy quinoa and pineapple ($10) with chips, a huge quesadilla ($10) overstuffed with cheese and veggie-topped nachos ($10) with avocado, beans and chihuahua cheese. As we were finishing up, my friend got an email saying our [...]

By |2023-09-02T19:39:37-04:00January 15th, 2022|Happy Hours, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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A Return to Bluebird London, Columbus Circle, NYC + Flying Over Sunset

Before heading to the Vivian Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center to see "Flying Over Sunset," we stopped at Bluebird London for dinner. The show is a fictionalized story about Cary Grant, Clare Boothe Luce and Aldous Huxley, who together experiment with LSD. Dinner was better than the show! We started with cocktails ($16 each). I had an Old Fashioned, my dining company their Planters' Punch (Bacardi Cuatro, lime, pineapple with a splash of angostura bitters) and Bed of Roses (Grey Goose, Campari, grapefruit, cava and a splash of club soda). One tried their over-priced corn soup ($16) for a small portion that needed both seasoning and more fresh corn.  I [...]

By |2022-01-17T22:24:10-05:00January 11th, 2022|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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Empanada Mama, Lower East Side, NYC + Tenement Museum

A group of friends first went on a guided tour of the Tenement Museum (103 Orchard Street) that allowed us the opportunity to explore the lower east side neighborhood and enter the historic tenement building to learn about the Baldizzi family and see their recreated apartment. Aldolfo and Rosaria Baldizzi were immigrants from Sicily who lived with their two young children on Orchard Street and survived economic hardships like the Great Depression. We explored how the Baldizzi family lived in their tenement home and visited where they went to school and shopped. Afterward, we walked over to Empanada Mama, a Latin restaurant in the neighborhood for a bite to eat. [...]

By |2022-01-02T10:51:29-05:00January 7th, 2022|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Best Bites of 2021 in New York City, Bonnie Tandy Leblang

With a nod to my friend Elliot, who nudged me to do this, I'm sharing some of the best bites I ate in 2021 in New York City. In no particular order, here are some favorite dishes that I enjoyed in 2021 with each linking to the original restaurant writeup. Best Bites: Bice Cucina, Soho's poached and thinly sliced octopus carpaccio. Tagmo's crispy tapioca fritters ($15 for three) layered with a spicy, green-hued mint and peanut chutney. Altesi downtown's ravioli filled with porcini mushroom in black truffle puree ($23). Angelina's signature pastry the “Mont-Blanc,” meringue topped with lightly whipped cream then chestnut cream vermicelli ($11). Casa Mono's confit of goat with [...]

By |2022-01-01T16:12:52-05:00January 1st, 2022|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Bowery Road in Hyatt Hotel, Union Square, NYC

Our ex.expat group was thinking of planning a holiday luncheon at Bowery Road. Another member of the planning committee and I decided to sample the fare before we signed a contract. We got there early enough to have a happy hour citrus margarita ($8) made with tequila, dry curacao, orange juice, lime! Yum. To nibble with that, we order fried zucchini chips ($13) served with almond romesco dip. The thin chips were nice and crisp and, after dipping into the sauce, made a perfect accompaniment to our drinks. We split both Faroe Island salmon ($27) and the branzino ($27). The former came with Swiss chard, faro, walnuts and a lemon-mustard [...]

By |2021-12-27T12:02:35-05:00December 29th, 2021|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Tick Tock Diner, New Yorker Hotel, NYC + Spanish Wine Tasting at Little Spain

I met a friend for lunch recently at the Tick Tock Diner at the corner of 8th Avenue and 34th Street. I had selected the meeting place as it was between her subway station and Hudson Yards where I was attending a master class in volcanic wines from the Canary Islands at Spain's Great Match, a Spanish Food and Wine event. Serendipitously, I ended up sitting with James Dillman, Casa Mono's sommelier who originally introduced me to the wines. At the restaurant, my friend ordered their tuna avocado melt with Muenster cheese and tomato on grilled Texas toast. She mentioned that contained a bit too much mayo, especially with the soft [...]

By |2022-01-17T22:25:58-05:00December 26th, 2021|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Rubirosa, SoHo, NYC + The Visitor at The Public

Remember the 2007 movie The Visitor with Oscar-nominated Richard Jenkins about a college professor who returns to New York City to attend a conference and finds a young couple living in his apartment? Well, that story is a musical at The Public Theater starring David Hyde Pierce. I highly recommend this 90-minute show! Afterward, we headed to Rubirosa, a place that I'd been hearing about since it appeared as a Michelin Bib Gourmand years ago, meaning it was good quality and a good value. It's a small, loud and cramped family-run neighborhood restaurant and pizzeria on Mulberry Street. We shared their two apps before the main event. First, the eponymous [...]

By |2022-01-17T22:26:45-05:00December 24th, 2021|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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Chocolate-Lovers Heaven at MarieBell, SoHo, NYC

In the back of MarieBelle's boutique handcrafted chocolates & sweets shop is a European-style cafe open Thursday through Sunday. I was invited to sample specific foods from their menu including finger sandwiches and either a madeleine ($2.50) or macaron. While waiting, I looked around the elegant, chandelier-topped room, noticing the 3-tiered afternoon tea served at other tables ($45-$65, depending on beverage selection). Our hearty plateful of finger sandwiches ($21) included salmon on dark bread rounds garnished with fresh lemon; ham and Gruyère on white dipped in chopped parsley; and endive filled with blue cheese, walnuts, apples and a splash of champagne vinegar atop bread with dill cream cheese. Our waiter [...]

By |2022-01-15T14:09:29-05:00December 22nd, 2021|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Holiday Meal at Rolf’s Restaurant, Gramercy Park, NYC + Sharks at American Museum of Natural History

The day began at the American Museum of Natural History at the opening of the "Sharks" exhibit that brings life to the diversity of these fascinating creatures that predate the appearance of trees and dinosaurs on our planet.  The new exhibition features dozens of life-sized models ranging from 33 feet to 5 inches long, fossils from the Museum’s collections, touch-free interactive exhibits and more for visitors of all ages. After the opening, we headed downtown to Rolf's German Restaurant with its old-world vibe to meet some friends. The restaurant, in the Gramercy Park neighborhood for over 50 years, is decorated for Christmas year-round. It's these over-the-top decorations that draw the [...]

By |2022-01-17T22:27:39-05:00December 20th, 2021|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|2 Comments
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Jazz Brunch at North Square, Washington Square, NYC

Every Sunday afternoon, North Square restaurant located in the Washington Square Hotel offers two jazz sets with brunch. One at 12:30, the other 2:15. The afternoon we went, the music was by the Roz Corral Trio with Roz as the vocal, Michael Kanan on the keyboard and Paul Gill on bass. We each had one of their brunch options and a bloody Mary (prix fixe $22). My friend tried the herb omelet with tomatoes and goat cheese served with a mesclun salad and undercooked potato cubes. I sampled the brunch tasting asking for poached eggs with pumpkin pecan pancakes, a chicken apple sausage and the same not fully cooked potato [...]

By |2021-11-08T09:17:19-05:00December 18th, 2021|Big Apple Life, Bites from the Road, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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BXL Cafe, Times Square, NYC + Is This a Room

I tripped over the lively BXL Cafe as it was a couple of blocks south of the Lyceum Theatre where we were seeing Is This a Room. Oddly, it was the first restaurant I've been to where the staff didn't check our vaccination card and the servers were not wearing masks. BXL has a pub atmosphere and menu along with friendly service. The food, with many Belgian specialties like mussels and frites, is okay. Nothing to go out of your way for. I had a Ceasar Salad ($11) with grilled shrimp (+$9), my dining partner the Bouchée À la Reine ($25) a puff pastry round atop chicken, bacon and diced meatballs [...]

By |2021-12-18T09:10:10-05:00December 16th, 2021|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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Margaritaville Times Square, NYC + Lehman Trilogy

The Lehman Trilogy is must-see theatre where, in three acts, the show chronicles the lives of three generations of three immigrant brothers as they arrive in America in 1844 through to 2008. Three actors playing multiple characters, tell the story of this American ambition and hubris with their legendary rise and ultimate fall. We walked out of The Nederlander Theatre on West 41st and decided to grab a bite around the corner at Margaritaville Times Square, a bit hokey but fun hotel. We opted for Jimmy Buffet's restaurant on the second floor to have their "perfect Margarita" ($13). It contained their Margaritaville Gold and Silver Tequila, triple sec, Orange Curaçao [...]

By |2021-12-18T09:11:56-05:00December 14th, 2021|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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A Return to Il Punto, Hell’s Kitchen, NYC + Green Mist

I had attended a reading of Green Mist: A Reading of an Immersive Play at New Perspectives Theatre on West 37th directed by Shellen Lubin with some friends. The story was a reflection of how privilege has shaped our society, which was somewhat reminiscent of "The Lord of the Flies." After the reading, we ended up at Il Punto, an old haunt of mine a couple of blocks south of 42nd street on Ninth Avenue that serves Sicilian fare. I hadn't been since pre-pandemic.  It was just as good as it was, although service was a tad slow, as in many restaurants these days. Two of us started with the [...]

By |2021-12-18T09:53:46-05:00December 12th, 2021|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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The Mary Lane, West Village, NYC

Like others, I had been reading about the new neighborhood restaurant The Mary Lane, from Blackfoot Hospitality—the team behind Market Table, The Clam and Little Owl—and decided to try it. The restaurant is named after an heirloom fig varietal. We started with Old Fashioned, made with Four Roses, as that was the only bourbon in house. For our app, we shared the flavorful Jonah crab salad with crispy slices from a Mutsu apple, some charred avocado chunks, shredded radicchio and radish slices ($19). I'd recommend. I ate their sautéed Nova Scotia halibut (a tad overcooked, but flavorful), with roasted market grapes, leeks and bon shimeji (brown beech) mushrooms ($38), while [...]

By |2021-12-18T09:17:13-05:00December 10th, 2021|NYC Restaurant Reviews|3 Comments
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Lunch at La Brochette, Midtown, NYC

I tripped over La Brochette when looking for a place for lunch near 41st and Third Avenue where my friends were coming into the city for a doctor's appointment. This upscale, white-tablecloth restaurant that's close to Grand Central is pricey, something I should have realized when the online menu neglected to offer the cost of each dish. Two of us chose their version of the Cobb salad; one with the added chicken ($34), the other with grilled salmon ($35). Each of those additions was quite flavorful. That traditional dish usually contains rows of chopped chicken, egg, avocado, blue cheese, tomatoes and bacon over chopped salad greens. Not at La Brochette. [...]

By |2021-12-18T09:20:33-05:00December 8th, 2021|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|2 Comments
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Return to Estela, Lower East Side, NYC

Last I dined at Estela was when it opened in 2013; it was a wonderful laidback small bistro then with Uruguayan chef Ignacio Mattos combining boldly flavored ingredients. Since then it's been touted worldwide, including being named one "The 40 Most Important Restaurants of the Decade" by Esquire magazine. It also now has a Michelin star. Again as during my last visit, we didn’t take the servers’ advice on how many plates to share. He suggested sharing seven; we ordered four and were more than satiated. The showstopper this meal was the endive salad with walnuts, anchovies and ubriaco rosso, a cheese. The leaves of that edible Mediterranean plant were [...]

By |2021-12-06T07:20:28-05:00December 4th, 2021|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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A Trip to Shukette, Chelsea, NYC

Much has been written about Shukette including a great review by Pete Wells (New York Times), which makes reservations difficult. Since we had planned to take a friend for her birthday, I diligently got on Resy four weeks out to book dinner and grabbed a decent time. The name Shukette, like its sister restaurant Shuka, derives its name from the Hebrew word for an open-air market, shuk. Both serve the creative cooking of Brooklyn-born Chef Ayesha J. Nurdjaja who helmed the kitchen that night. Sadly there was no room outside, so we had to dine in the restaurant, which is quite noisy. We almost had to shout to hear each [...]

By |2022-09-16T06:44:33-04:00December 2nd, 2021|NYC Restaurant Reviews|4 Comments
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Daniel Boulud’s New Le Pavillion, Midtown, NYC

Le Pavillion, Daniel Boulud's latest restaurant, is located in the new skyscraper just north of Grand Central Station on 42nd Street. The building also hosts The Summit, with the second-highest outdoor deck in the city. The restaurant's lush elegant setting, just two flights from the entrance, reminded me of the now-closed Four Seasons. Once seated I noticed the spectacular views of the Chrysler building thru the windows. Instead of white tablecloths, the tables are covered with a white round sturdy (yet elegant) paper covering. The service was exquisite as I'd expect from a Daniel Boulud restaurant. The prix fixe menu contains seasonal ingredients from both land and sea — terre et [...]

By |2022-01-31T13:45:25-05:00November 28th, 2021|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Dim Sum at Red Peony Chinese Cuisine, Midtown, NYC + City Center Dance

We chose Red Peony Chinese Cuisine on 56th Street for its proximity to City Center. We were heading there to see the yearly eclectic Fall for Dance Festival. All seats only $15. This year — because of travel restrictions — the performers were all American. As usual, it was wonderful, eliciting standing ovations. If you go, I suggest only ordering their dim sum and some soup. We sampled their crab meat dumplings in a spinach wrapper, the pan-fried shrimp and chive dumplings, the steamed shrimp shumai with pork (each $8.95 for four) and their crispy vegetable spring rolls ($11.90 for 4). Service, typical since the pandemic, was off.  Our server placed [...]

By |2021-12-05T16:50:18-05:00November 26th, 2021|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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