NYC Restaurant Reviews

Our New York City restaurant reviews

Burger & Lobster New Menu, Flatiron, NYC

After seeing the quite unusual, part musical, part comedy, Ride the Cyclone at the Lucille Lortel, I returned to Burger & Lobster on 19th Street in the Flatiron area to sample their new menu. So glad I did. I began with their spicy sweet sweet jalapeño cocktail ($12) made with El Jimador Reposado tequila and honey jalapeño syrup; my dining partner had their non-alcoholic Miss Ginger made with peach puree, honey syrup and ginger beer. Considering the size of the completely full restaurant, I was amazed how I could easily hear my dining partner and carry on a conversation. What caught my eye on another table was a grilled super-sized [...]

By |2017-08-20T13:01:10-04:00December 18th, 2016|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Nix, Greenwich Village, NYC

Nix,  a new vegetarian restaurant by some of the owners of Narcissa, recently was awarded a well deserved Michelin star. I've already been for brunch and dinner, and do plan to return. Yes, it's that good. For brunch, we had started with their version of a mimosa — a watery blend of orange juice, campari and cachaça ($12). We then selected three entrees that we planned to share. The minty egg in the hole, with white cheddar, avocado and whole wheat toast ($15); their fry bread and gravy, with portobello mushrooms and a sunny-side up egg all seasoned with sausage spices ($15), and their shaved veggies of carrots, radishes, fennel, radicchio [...]

By |2017-08-20T13:01:10-04:00December 11th, 2016|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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A.O.C., West Village, NYC

Some friends were in town visiting and invited me to join them at A.O.C. At first I thought AOC referred to the French wine certification (Appellation d'Origine Controllee); instead its the French word for "the wing or thigh" — L'Aile Ou la Cuisse. Since the weather was still good, we sat outside in the large fairly quiet garden area, much quieter than inside. We shared a large assortment of of charcuterie & cheese while sipping our wine ($28). For dinner, I opted for the demi poulet, especially after learning the meaning of A.O.C. The half roasted free-range chicken was cooked to perfection, served with a rich aux jus and crisp [...]

By |2017-08-20T13:01:10-04:00December 8th, 2016|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Pasquale Jones, Little Italy, NYC

A friend and I had been reading about Pasquale Jones, the Charlie Bird by product in Little Italy, and had to try it. While waiting for my friend to arrive, The tables are so close to each other, that  I got into a conversation with my neighbors who then offered me some of their wood-fired pumpkin, caramelized by the heat. . My dining companion and I started with the ethereal budino, a rich Pamigiano Reggiano custard with wild mushrooms ($18) garnished that melted in the mouth. We then shared an tender and moist wild halibut ($34) cooked in a milky cauliflower and prosecco sauce. And, I had to have more [...]

By |2017-08-20T13:01:10-04:00December 4th, 2016|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Caffe Storico at the New-York Historical Society, Upper West Side, NYC a revisit

You can stop in at Caffe Storico after visiting the New-York Historical Society on the Upper West Side, but I'm suggesting it as a dining destination. Yup — the food and service is that good a this Venetian-inspired bright and airy cafe. We stopped by recently while on a stroll through Central Park. I would recommend both dishes that we shared:  an unusual pappardelle ($19) — wide hand-cut pasta ribbons — with pork  shoulder (that had been braised in milk)  in a light and creamy sauce. Their raffinata is an "elegant bagel and lox" (according to our server). It consists of  potato cake crispy on the bottom, topped with smoked salmon, [...]

By |2017-08-20T13:01:10-04:00December 3rd, 2016|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Zengo, Murray Hill, (Heisenberg) NYC

After seeing the incredible performances by Mary-Louise Parker and Denis Arndt as two strangers who connect in a London train station in Heisenberg at Samuel J Friedman Theatre, we headed to Richard Sandoval's Zengo for a late night meal. The show made me think about relationships and how meeting one person can change your life. Worth seeing! Still on my spicy drink kick, I ordered a Zengo Margarita ($14) made with Rancho Alegre blanco tequila, blood orange juice and serrano peppers. It didn't disappoint. Neither did their Thai lettuce wraps ($14) with a perfect blend of ground chorizo, lots of peanuts, chopped cilantro and tamarind chutney. I'd return just for [...]

By |2017-09-04T19:07:28-04:00December 1st, 2016|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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The Row House, Harlem, NYC

The publicist emailed to invite me to sample Row House's fare at the seasonal American eatery in the heart of Harlem on Frederick Douglas Boulevard. We started with one of the funky sounding cocktails while looking over the varied menu. I started with one of spicy funky sounding cocktails — "Hot Enough to Last" ($13) made with a honey jalapeño bourbon, basil and Jamaican ginger beer — while looking over the over zealous menu, which I thought would be a stretch for any kitchen. The staff, though, couldn't have be more gracious in enthusiastically explaining all the offerings, many designed to share. Do try their fresh kale and beet salad, [...]

By |2017-08-20T13:01:10-04:00November 26th, 2016|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Ocean Prime’s Dutch Harbor Red King Crab

Earlier this fall, fresh crabs arrived at Ocean Prime locations around the country directly from Alaska's Dutch Harbor. I was invited back to the theatre district area restaurant to try them while they were fresh -- which is only for a limited time in October. We indulged by first having these large legs chilled along with a tower of other seafood with cocktail sauce, and then a platter of them steamed served along with drawn butter with a glass of Veuve Clicquot. We both preferred the succulent crustaceans warm. The crab legs are no longer available, but Ocean Prime's Happier Hours are where you can enjoy $10 glasses of Veuve [...]

By |2017-08-20T13:01:10-04:00November 21st, 2016|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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John’s of Bleecker Street, Greenwich Village, NYC

As a former New Havener, I was not expecting to like the coal-fired brick oven pizza at John's of Bleecker Street... but I did. While waiting for the pies to come out of the ovens, we ate the nicely dressed romaine salad with mushrooms, onions and tomatoes ($8.25) And then the group of ten of us demolished every morsel of the three thin, crisp crusted white and tomato pies with all sorts of toppings from pepperoni, to red peppers, to ricotta cheese and more ..(Large, $20). I'll be back as the pizza was worth the trip.   John's Pizzeria Greenwich Village 278 Bleecker St New York, NY 10014 (212) 243-1680 [...]

By |2017-08-20T13:01:10-04:00November 16th, 2016|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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The Breslin for Brunch, NoMad, NYC

Stopped by the Breslin for lunch with a veggie-friend so we skipped the pork that they are known for and opted for vegetarian offerings. We shared their skimpy frittata and fabulously seasoned salad. The frittata not only lacked size, but also flavor. There was little of the menu-promised herbed broccoli rabe and only a dab of the Spanish spreadable sheep's milk cheese.  What they lacked for the eggs, the kitchen made up with the perfectly seasoned salad. It is a  refreshingly crisp seed-sprinkled blend of buttery lettuce, paper thin radishes and cucumber chunks in a minty herbed vinaigrette. Order that.   - bonnie BonnieBOTBFollow @BonnieBOTB The Breslin in the Ace [...]

By |2017-08-20T13:01:10-04:00November 13th, 2016|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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The Shakespeare, Murray Hill, NYC

If you find yourself near Grand Central on a Sunday night looking for something to eat ... do I have a bargain for you! The Shakespeare, an English gastropub is offering its traditional, British family-style roast with choice of three roast meats (chicken, pork or beef) accompanied by seasonal vegetables (cauliflower, carrots, broccoli), roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings (AKA popovers made with the roast's drippings) and customary condiments (creamy savory red sauce for the chicken, applesauce for the pork, horseradish for the beef) for only $19 a person! There's a nut roast for vegetarians. This reasonably priced feast is served with a warm smile every Sunday from 11:30am to 7pm. The [...]

By |2017-08-20T13:01:10-04:00November 1st, 2016|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Le Coq Rico, Flatiron, NYC

Decided to head to chef Antoine Westermann's  new attractive bistro of beautiful birds, Le Coq Rico to see if the chicken was as good as the hype. Le Coq Rico operates on French time. After asking for a minute to peruse the menu, our laissez-faire waitstaff returned after  half an hour for our order. We grabbed that opportunity to give our drink and food order together, asking for the food not to be delivered all at once. Not. Everything — including our drinks — arrived at the same time. My watery mimosa could have used a better balance ($13) of juice to sparkling wine. The incredibly fluffy cow cheese omelet [...]

By |2017-08-20T13:01:11-04:00October 28th, 2016|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Pera Soho, Soho, NYC

A group of us stopped into the outdoor terrace at Pera Soho for dinner one evening when the weather was still warm enough to dine outside. That open space made dining a pleasure, as we could hear each other. We began with a meze, our own choice of small plates to share. Those included grilled lamb sliders ($12 for 2), flavorful smoked eggplant ($9), labne terleten (yogurt with spicy oil, crushed peppers, $9) and mini lamb dumplings, topped with garlic yogurt and a  tomato sauce ($14). The best were the sliders with their shoestring fries. Pera's country salad was missing the menu stated Beefsteak tomatoes, did contain lettuce, cucumbers, aged [...]

By |2017-08-20T13:01:11-04:00October 23rd, 2016|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Casa Mono, Gramercy Park, NY, a revisit

If you can get to Casa Mono — the Michelin-starred Spanish restaurant owned and operated by Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich — before they pull the summer beans ($14) off the menu, do so. Yes, it's that good. The beans come with Marcona almonds, Calabrian chiles and smoked shredded tetilla (a Basque) cheese and the flavors literally dance in your mouth. The other small plates we sampled were also good. They included a small croquette of pork topped by a light stew of tomatillos, baby heirloom veggies, okra and sliced octopus ($14). Being a lover of that eight-legged mollusk, we also had the pulpo with grapefruit supremes and ribbons of [...]

By |2017-08-20T13:01:11-04:00October 17th, 2016|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Hometown Bar-B-Cue, Red Hook, Brooklyn

Good barbecue certainly satisfies, especially after an exhausting day shopping at nearby IKEA for my new apartment's kitchen. Hometown Bar-B-Cue is an easy walk from the giant warehouse. Your order your choice of meats from one counter, your alcoholic drinks from the other. Their smoked good are oh, so worth it. We shared a pulled pork sandwich topped with their vinegary cole slaw ($12) and a half-order of Jamaican Jerk baby back ribs with the abundant tender spicy meat falling right off the bone ($17). The only thing that could have made that meal better would have been fries. Hometown Bar-B-Cue doesn't offer any. There was one letdown: the plebeian [...]

By |2017-08-20T13:01:11-04:00October 16th, 2016|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Florian Trattoria, Gramarcy Park, Manhattan CLOSED

Walking home, I've meandered past Florian a number of times thinking it looked inviting and I should give it a try. I decided to do so recently, glad  we did so on the early side —  as the noise became quite deafening by the time we left. We started with their market veggie antipasto, selecting the eggplant caponata and braised artichokes alla romana from the menu, plus the zucchini parmesan from the specials ($14 for three, or $6 each). The latter was the most delicious, layered with cheese and tomato sauce like lasagne. I'd skip the artichokes, as each of the hearts was too under cooked to eat with a [...]

By |2017-10-18T16:00:45-04:00October 15th, 2016|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Samui, Fort Greene, Brooklyn

A Napadol named Samui — the new Southeast Asian restaurant in Fort Greene near the Brooklyn Navy Yard — after a lush island in Thailand, her homeland. I was invited to there to sample their fare. The 109-seat restaurant is beautiful to look at - no surprise as A has a design background. The restaurant, which opened late this summer, is still working out some kinks. I exchanged the watery pickled pepper martini for their piquant chili margarita. I'd highly recommend the latter. Unless they change the name to veggie roll, I suggest they add more seafood to the rice paper wrapped shrimp roll. Tasty though. The black potato fritters [...]

By |2017-08-20T13:01:11-04:00October 11th, 2016|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Avra, Midtown East, NYC — Revisit

I dealt with Avra's noise as I really like the food. When you finally get your table at this midtown Greek seafood restaurant, the waiter places a plate with housemade hummus, olives and radishes, itself worth the visit. After ordering the trio of dips, octopus, lavraki and broccoli rabe, we noticed the stack of fried vegetables at the table touching ours. "Would you like to try one?" aksed our neighbor. I couldn't resist. These sliced thin, lightly breaded and fried until crisp zucchini and eggplant morsels were so good, we flagged down our waiter to cancel our meze and replace it with an order of it -- kololithi ($20.95). The [...]

By |2017-08-20T13:01:11-04:00October 9th, 2016|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Seabird, West Village (All the Ways to Say I Love You), NYC

After seeing the amazing Judith Light in a mesmerizing one-woman performance in All the Ways to Say I Love You at the Lucille Lortel theatre, we stopped by the lively Seabird for a bite to eat. Judith Light deserved an Obie for her performance; catch it if you can. At Seabird on the corner of Sixth Avenue and Washington Place, we shared the octopus fritter ($14 for four) drizzled with both a curry aioli and a black squid ink sauce on a bed of shredded fresh carrots and julienned beets. Interesting concept, but I would  suggest ordering only if you like fried balls of dough. There wasn't much or the [...]

By |2017-11-22T17:12:22-05:00October 8th, 2016|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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Natsumi Tapas, Gramercy Park, NYC

I read up on the new Japanese-Italian tapas place in Gramercy after being invited to sample the cooking of Chef Haru Konagaya, formerly of Haru restaurants. Unique, I thought, trying to imagine the combination of the two cultures. With spicy drinks appearing on menus everywhere this year, I began with Natsumi's offering: a spicy margarita made with their house-brewed tequila with jalapeño. It didn't disappoint. As their guests, we followed the lead of the manager, who after talking with us suggested all our dishes. I'd recommend their grilled tiger shrimp  and veggies in a spicy sesame garlic sauce ($12). Not as interesting is the tofu veggie combo ($11) as the [...]

By |2017-08-20T13:01:11-04:00October 7th, 2016|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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