NYC Restaurant Reviews

Our New York City restaurant reviews

Watching the World Go By at Bistro Les Amis, SoHo, NYC

We chose Bistro Les Amis as it was close enough for my friend's mom to walk to.  Our sidewalk table was on the corner of Spring and Thompson, a fun place to sit outside in SoHo and watch the world walk by, especially on a nice weather day. We started with their lump crabcake ($16.95 for two) with celery slaw and their shrimp cocktail with jumbo ones ($15.95) while nibbling on their fabulously crisp-crusted bread. My friend tried their center-cut pork chop ($28.95)  with polenta cake, Brussels sprouts and an apple compote.   I would have preferred the blackened shrimp on my Ceasar salad ($22.95) be the size of those [...]

By |2021-05-23T07:51:16-04:00May 15th, 2021|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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As Seen on Shark Tank: Pasta by Hudson, Chelsea, NYC

One of the best restaurants to dine at indeed is the one where you're known. We headed over to Pasta by Hudson, a fast-casual fresh pasta bar between 20th and 21st Streets on Seventh Avenue as my friend is a friend of the owner, Brandon Fay. They had met and befriended when Brandon was Managing Director of Trattoria Dell’ Arte. Brandon recently appeared on Shark Tank with his concept, getting an investment of $150,000 in exchange for 30 percent equity. We had to try it. Brandon greeted us with a taste of their frozen strawberry frosé ($11) while we perused the menu. We then ordered wine ($9 a glass) with [...]

By |2021-10-31T09:31:29-04:00May 12th, 2021|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rambling|0 Comments
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Montebello, Midtown + Calder at MOMA

  Classic cooking from the area near Trieste, Italy, is the inspiration for Montebello, a northern Italian white-tablecloth restaurant. I had chosen it for their proximity and prix fixe $29 lunch as a place to dine after going to the Calder: Modern from the Start exhibit at MOMA.  I highly suggest making a res if you haven't been yet. It's open through August 7, 2021. Our attentive waiter said that they had just recently reopened and were not offering the special lunch menu at this time. We were already seated comfortably at our white-tablecloth-covered table looking at the menu. One friend ordered the battutta di pollo, their hand-pounded then grilled chicken [...]

By |2021-10-31T10:06:49-04:00May 11th, 2021|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rambling|0 Comments
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Num Pang Kitchen + MvVO Ad Art Show

Earlier this month, I attended an in-person press event at the Westfield World Trade Center to see the opening of the MvVO Ad Art Show displayed on the ~27 massive digital screens throughout the Oculus. The art show shares the space with real ads, alternating frequently. The show, now in its fourth year, celebrates the talented artists of advertising and related fields. These artworks are also online on Artsy—where you'll find the works for sale (https://www.artsy.net/mvvo). After the show, we walked to Brookfield Place looking for an outdoor place to eat. Nothing was open. We ended up at their food court on the second floor, stopping by Num Pang sandwich shop. [...]

By |2021-10-31T10:06:18-04:00May 8th, 2021|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Other happenings|0 Comments
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Rooftop Happy Hour at STK Downtown, Meatpacking District, NYC

Once nice weather hits, rooftop cocktails are de rigueur. That's why we headed over to STK in the meat-packing district for a happy hour drink to celebrate my friend's birthday.  First things first. We ordered our cocktails (regularly $21, hh pricing $11), my friend selected their Spiced Watermelon made with Patrón Silver, St. Germain, watermelon, lime and jalapeño.   I ordered their Not Your Daddy's Old Fashioned made with a hearty pour of Woodford Reserve. The old fashioned has become one of my pandemic go-to cocktails. I'd recommend STKs. My friend ordered their beef tartare ($7) simply served in three crispy wonton-like cups for easy snacking. I tried their sauteed mini-salmon [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:05:23-04:00May 6th, 2021|Big Apple Life, Happy Hours, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Other happenings, Rooftop|0 Comments
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Yunnan Cuisine at South of the Clouds, Greenwich Village, NYC

South Of The Clouds is a casual spot on West 8th Street in the Village specializing in mixian, rice noodles from the Yunnan province of China. The menu is small, service attentive. We started with their signature Yunnan Crossing Bridge Rice Noodle Soup served with a platter with small bowls of crispy fried pork and uncooked fish, beef, pork, chicken and quail egg. With that, we received a tureen of boiling broth and a bowl of mixian, their tubelike version of rice noodles. Our server combined those noodles plus the raw ingredients with the boiling soup then left it for us to serve ourselves. Skip the "Spicy Chicken (Bone in)" [...]

By |2021-04-22T07:29:22-04:00May 3rd, 2021|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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RH Rooftop Restaurants + Return to King Nyani

The giant gorilla Nyani is like a magnet to me. I've been walking the Highline to Hudson Yards to bring friends to see the adorable reclining bronze ape since I first set eyes on him.  Seriously, there's something enticing about him. We stopped there to take photos before walking back south on the Highline to Restoration Hardware where we were eating on the roof. I've been pre-COVID. It's still as exquisite as it was. You feel quite comfy in this well-appointed rooftop space. What I'd expect from Restoration Hardware. Their attentive yet not over-bearing service matches the space. We took our time ordering, yakking and eating while we sipped the [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:05:43-04:00April 30th, 2021|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rooftop|0 Comments
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A Mexican Brunch at Agave, West Village, NYC

Having recently returned from Cancun, I was yearning for some fresh guacamole. I enticed a friend to meet me at Agave, a Mexican restaurant in the West Village. While waiting for my friend to arrive, I started chatting with the group of young folks sitting at the table next to me. The lighting was much better at their table so I had asked if they minded me photographing their food (pancakes are theirs!). They highly recommended ordering the nachos off the menu saying they were the best ever. How could I resist? Sadly, our waitress was not flexible or very service-oriented. We noticed that a 20% gratuity was automatically added [...]

By |2021-04-22T07:28:39-04:00April 27th, 2021|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Cocktail Hour: Jungle Bird, Chelsea + Jungle Bird Cocktail Recipe

A new friend from my recent Cancun trip was heading to the city from Philly for a modeling gig and suggested we meet while she was in town. We met at the Jungle Bird cocktail lounge. They have a limited menu. It's a place to drink, not to eat. Bring your earplugs if you have them. Yes, it's that noisy. The bar is based on the eponymous tiki drink ($15) said to be invented at the Kuala Lumpur Hilton in 1978. This cross between a Negroni and a daiquiri has only five ingredients. Rum, Campari, pineapple and lime juices and simple syrup.  The flavor elicited memories of many fun times [...]

By |2025-05-29T15:08:05-04:00April 24th, 2021|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rambling, Recipes, Starters|2 Comments
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Still open: Peter McMannus Cafe, Chelsea, NYC

For years, I'd heard, read about and walked by the Peter McManus Cafe on the corner of 19th Street and Seventh Avenue yet until recently I had never been. It's been open since 1936, making it the oldest family-run bar in the city. You may have seen this Irish pub on Law and Order or Seinfeld. A friend invited me to join him at lunch as we both were in the mood for a burger. His promise of them being yummy was kept. We each started with a martini, I was in sticker-shock at the $12 price for the large pour. We had to sip from the glass before attempting [...]

By |2021-04-25T18:08:43-04:00April 23rd, 2021|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Taam Tov, Midtown (Diamond District), NYC

Taam Tov, which means good taste in Hebrew, is a Bukharian restaurant located two floors above 47th Street. It's the traditional cuisine of the Bukharan Jewish community. If you weren't looking for it, you'd probably miss it. I met a friend there recently for lunch.  Neither of us was very familiar with this Jewish cuisine. Our first dish was the Manty ($15.99), five large steamed thin dough dumplings filled with beef.  We also ordered the "Falafel Salad,"  sadly not with greens as I would have thought but with six falafel balls in a pool of hummus. And no bread for dipping. ($12.99) Our main dish was the bakhsh ($15.99), the [...]

By |2021-11-01T07:16:28-04:00April 22nd, 2021|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Society Cafe in Walker Hotel, Greenwich Village, NYC + Highline

The Society Café, located downstairs in the Walker Hotel, offered live music the Sunday we stopped in for brunch.  I've been dining inside ever since I became fully vaccinated. Almost felt as if life was beginning to return to normal. We started with classic brunch cocktails. My dining partner sipped a bellini ($10) while I tried the bloody Mary ($13). I ordered the Shakshuka ($18), their poached eggs with a tomato sauce with shishito peppers and chorizo and a side of Parmesan Fries ($6).  The shakshuka looked inviting. I attempted to eat one of the eggs. They were so overcooked and rubbery, I couldn’t get my fork thru it. Their [...]

By |2021-11-08T09:16:03-05:00April 14th, 2021|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rambling|0 Comments
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Greek Eleni’s for Lunch, Gramercy, NYC

I had noticed Eleni's, the inviting Greek restaurant on Third Avenue as I walked by many times. This time I met a friend for a birthday lunch. Eleni's used large baby-blue mask-wearing bears to fill the tables patrons couldn't. Adorable. We opted for their generous $29.95 prix fixe lunch and a bottle of their Hatzigiannis Estate Assyrtiko 2019 ($60). While sipping the wine, we nibbled the fresh pita and house-made hummus. We chose and split their two large triangles of spanakopita filled with feta and spinach, and their crispy and tender grilled octopus with onions and capers. I'd recommend either. As typical when at a Greek restaurant, I chose their [...]

By |2024-09-22T09:43:05-04:00April 11th, 2021|NYC Restaurant Reviews|2 Comments
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A Flight at Birreria Rooftop, Flatiron, NYC

After a long walk on one of the first gorgeous spring days, I decided to stop by a rooftop restaurant for a cocktail. I wanted to continue to enjoy the weather.  Figured I'd respond to texts and emails. I ended up at Eataly's open rooftop restaurant Birreria. Great space. None of their cocktails talked to me. I decided to step outside my drinking comfort range to sample their Negroni flight. I say that, as a Negroni was never my drink. I was so glad I did. The Negroni flight ($25) contained three 2-ounce smoked Negronis made from Campari, Carpano Antica Vermouth and Blood Orange, with each one better than I [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:05:53-04:00April 9th, 2021|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Other happenings, Rooftop|0 Comments
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A Return to Kubeh, West Village, NYC

Love that when we arrived at  Kubeh, it was during their 5 to 6 pm happy hour. I choice their unusual walnut apricot Manhattan, garnished with the dried fruit ($10), my friend sipped the flavorful Sans-Spirit watermelon Nina ($7). Both tasty. Don't miss their small plates of warm cauliflower with lemon, parsley and sea salt ($10) from their small plates or the roasted eggplant ($7) topped with pomegranate arils, fresh mint and drizzled with tahini from the meze listings. Although they didn't have the lamb with rice and mint Kubeh that I so enjoyed last time, I still ordered their namesake dish, which is the name of a thick dumpling-like [...]

By |2021-03-05T11:47:53-05:00April 8th, 2021|NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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The Modern Georgian Chito Gvrito, Gramercy, NYC

Another Georgian restaurant, Chito Gvrito, opened in my hood. I looked forward to sampling and comparing it to Chama Mama on West 14th Street that I had sampled last summer during the pandemic. As we sat down on the blanket-covered metal chair,  we ordered the classic khachapuri, the freshly baked cheese-stuffed bread, knowing it would take at least 15 minutes to bake. We chose the ajaruli cheese pie ($14), the traditional open-faced one that comes topped with a fresh egg and chunk of butter. When ours arrived, the server offered to ready it by tossing the melted hot cheese with the egg to "cook" it.  As I had learned at [...]

By |2021-11-08T07:34:00-05:00April 5th, 2021|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Greek Restaurant Avra Madison Estiatorio, Midtown, NYC

I had my friend pick the location for us to dine this time. Avra Madison Estiatorio was the choice. I had been to and enjoyed the Avra on 48th, falling for their stack of sliced thin, lightly breaded and fried zucchini plus their octopus and lavraki (branzino). We ordered the stack again, even the price had increased $6 since my last visit to $26.75 to accompany our cocktails, which is too pricey for me to order again. We also nibbled their housemade hummus, olives and radishes that were placed on the table with crispy bread. I sampled the Helios's Heat as the waiter described it as hot and smoky. The [...]

By |2021-03-02T08:16:39-05:00April 2nd, 2021|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Osteria Delbianco, Midtown, NYC

It was midafternoon on a rainy day when we met at the year-old Osteria Delbianco, on East 49th Street a bit east of Sak's side door, and decide to dine inside as at that time we were the only patrons. The warmth was wonderful. The menu represents a return to Chef Diego’s culinary roots as he was deeply influenced by his grandmother, Nonna Maria Delbianco, the restaurant’s namesake.  Omar served us some bread with sun-dried tomato dipping sauce as we studied the menu. To start, the four of us shared the lightly fried "fritto misto dell'Adriatico," their crispy fried calamari, shrimp and paper-thin strips of carrots and zucchini served with spicy [...]

By |2021-02-26T11:10:36-05:00March 30th, 2021|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Lebanese Au Za’atar in Alphabet City (East Village), NYC

We joined Au Za’atar's publicist at this Middle Eastern restaurant, to sample many of Chef/Owner Tarik Fallous’ authentic Lebanese family recipes focusing on fresh seasonal ingredients. We began with a huge presentation of mezze served in six small bowls on a metal tree, accompanied by lots of pita pockets.  This consisted of their hummus (puréed chickpeas with tahini sauce, $10); baba ghanoush (char-grilled eggplant purée with tahini and lemon juice, $12.00); tabouli salad (wheat bulgur mixed with fresh parsley, tomatoes, scallions, mint and fresh lemon juice, $12); foul medamas (beans with garlic, lemon juice, cumin $11.50); batata harra (spicy potato cubes with cilantro, garlic and red pepper flakes, $11.50);  and [...]

By |2021-03-28T16:01:41-04:00March 27th, 2021|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Wagamama, Murray Hill, NYC

My friend was in town for a doctor's appointment so we planned to meet at wagamama, the Asian chain from London worth trying. We'd both been to other locations before. Not being familiar with Japanese whiskies, we both ordered their Old Fashioned ($14.50) made with Iwai and Akashi, garnished with an orange-peel rose. An interesting cocktail. We ordered a couple of apps to go with our cocktails. Don't miss either the crisp cauliflower in a firecracker sauce ($8) or the steamed gyoza,  five pork dumplings ($8), served a dipping sauce. So tasty what we ate every morsel and then neither of us could finish our hearty entree. I chose the [...]

By |2021-03-28T16:07:21-04:00March 24th, 2021|NYC Restaurant Reviews|2 Comments
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