NYC Tastes

What a crazy year 2011 has been! There has been so much good food, wine and fun going on it’s been a little out of control. Here’s a look back on the year and some of my favorite food and drink highlights. Best New Opening- Maison Laduree There are no better macarons in the city than these little guys. Thank goodness they opened up otherwise I would be ordering boxes from Paris. Maison Laduree Review Best Burger- Gramercy Tavern I really can’t get over how delicious this burger was. The dry aged beef was perfect and that Clothbound Cheddar Cheese just sealed the deal. Best Dessert- Gramercy Tavern Sweet corn ice cream, fresh blueberry preserves, toffee popcorn and a pepper whipped cream. This seasonal Blueberry Corn Sundae is amazing. Mark your calendars for autumn to see if it makes a return. Gramercy Tavern Review Best Croissant- Bien Cuit Remember this thing? I compared it to crack (If I knew what crack was like) It was that freaking good.

No it's not. It's only Wednesday but it seems like the longest week in the world for some reason because it's holiday time and your working.  If that's the case (as it is for me) you need a break.  A delicious frothy winter beer kind of break. Lucky for you Rattle N Hum still has all its kegs of beer left from last night's Winter Fest event.  I enjoyed a smooth chocolaty old ale the Haandbryggeriet Nissefar (don't pronounce- just point). Look at all these great beers- you have your excuse to go out and enjoy one.  And if your not working then you should be enjoying them even more!  Look out for my Best of 2011 Eats and Drinks list that comes out tomorrow.  Cheers! Rattle N Hum

Christmas cake and message provided by my father.  Enjoy!

I love going to brunch but getting Mr. T out of the house before nightfall is a challenge.   That being the case we usually do a brunch near our apartment and lately it’s been at Primehouse. The Wild Mushroom Omelette gets a nice salty kick from melted leeks and a creamy goat cheese.  While the “Plain Old Breakfast Sandwich” is absolutely enormous and much better than any old breakfast sandwich from the corner deli that’s for sure. The only thing that I didn’t enjoy were the Truffle Asiagao Fries.      The fries were crispy enough but the truffle oil gave them a fake, chemical taste.   Next time I’m skipping the fries and trying out the Duck Fat Hash Browns instead.   Mmmmmm duck fat… Primehouse NYC

I’ve been meaning to try out this place since it opened a year ago and finally got a chance this past weekend.   This little restaurant is tucked away on Avenue C right across from the raucous and rowdy Zum Schneider.   Inside it’s warm and cozy with long wooden tables and lots of rustic charm.   They also are one of the few places that have Landjager. This cured Austrian Sausage is delicious on its own or dipped into a little bit of sweet mustard.   We started with an order of that and an order of Pork Belly. I was surprised to see the belly cut up like bacon instead of in fat chunks.   I actually didn’t love the pork belly.   The thin cut made it seem extra fatty and I couldn’t really get that deep porky flavor I usually do.   However I did love their Spatzle. This was so incredibly creamy and had a nice earthy flavor from the addition of mushrooms and brussels sprouts.   And let’s talk about brussels sprouts.  We got a big old bowl and they were absolut

You may remember me talking about Cannibal a while back, the new offshoot of Resto that specializes in good beer and tartares.   I’ve been a few times now and although I continue to have a love/hate feeling towards Resto (currently in the hate side) I have a total love side for Cannibal- here’s why.   Number one- bar snacks.   Whole nuts still inside the shell sit on the bar with a cracker just waiting to be used.   This bowl immediately brought me back to my youth when we would visit my great Aunt during the holidays. She always had a big bowl of almonds just like this and it was so satisfying to crack each one open.   Number two- the Tartares. This is the Lamb Tartare and they blend the meat with shallots, capers and a little harissa aioli which made it utterly freaking delicious.   Number three- the extensive beer list.   Okay so I went for an extra dry cider to begin with but finished up with one of my favorite bottles of Allagash Black.   The variety o

We’ve done the Rockefeller Center guide but what about some good old fashioned holiday cocktails! First up the classic Egg Nog at Maialino. This delicious frothy drink is a little lighter than most versions and gets a nice dose of nutmeg and cinnamon. Truth be told this picture is from me enjoying last years- hopefully they’ll put it back on the menu soon! Looking for something a little lighter on the waistline? Try Northern Spy in the East Village. This cozy little place specializes in aperitif-driven cocktails- which basically means tasty drinks with a little less alcohol than most cocktails. Usually made from a sherry base or Lillet blanc, Chris Ronis’s creations allow you to enjoy the festive flavors of the year without waking up with that holiday hangover! How about their Salvadoran Fence made from Jalapeño infused Lillet blanc, Punt e Mes, watermelon, basil, lime and Asgoatura bitters. However a little something stronger may be needed when dealing with all the f

I took the day off on Monday to do my annual Christmas day with myself. It’s always too crowded after work and on weekends to get near the tree and windows so a weekday off is necessary. But first I needed some food and once again a delicious tartare was calling my name. Since I was already planning to do a little holiday shopping in Columbus Circle, Porter House seemed like the perfect place. My Filet Mignon Tartare arrived and the first thing I noticed was the absence of an egg on top. Surprisingly I didn’t miss it. The meat held together just fine with some mustard and oil. There was some chopped onion inside and some capers and condiments on the side for mixing.   When it first arrived the meat looked almost cooked on top but as you can see it’s a luscious red inside. This was absolutely wonderful-probably in my top three of all time. It was a classic preparation done well. A smidge less olive oil and it could have been perfection.  My lovely glass of Pinot Noir was a p

I absolutely love Mexican style breakfasts. When I think back on my wedding in Mexico the delicious food each morning is almost always the first thing that pops into my mind (oh and my husband:) So having Dos Caminos right by my apartment is pretty awesome for weekend brunch. A complementary cocktail is included but skip the usual Bloody Mary or Mimosa and try out their Prickly Pear Margarita instead. It’s seriously delicious and quite eye catching as well. I’m a creature of habit and always order the same thing here- the Machacado Breakfast tacos. Steak, eggs, cheese and salsa all inside a crispy tortilla shell. It’s a little spicy and has a ton of flavor. If this can’t help you after a few too many beers the night before I don’t know what will. My friend ordered the breakfast quesadilla which didn’t fare quite as well. The tortilla was really disproportionate with lots of cheese in one segment and bacon in another. It was still a decent breakfast but not as del

Chikalicious is one of these awesome spots that somehow always falls under my radar. I was literally walking right past the other day and almost missed it! Luckily the smell of hot chocolate and baked goods lured me inside. I almost always get one of their amazing cupcakes but this time I wanted something different. Some Petits Fours perhaps? I decided upon the Strawberry Shortcake and Caramel Profiterole Tart. The Strawberry Shortcake was okay- maybe a little on the dry side but the Caramel Profiterole was awesome. The top had bites of crackly sugar like a cream brulee top and the caramel creme was just right. However at $2 each these are pretty expensive for what you get. Although I really enjoyed the Profiterole I would save my money next time for the Cupcakes. Or possibly the cookies. They had one called The Situation that has salty pretzel bits, toffee popcorn and peanut butter chips. That's some kind of situation I could handle! Dessert Club Chikalicious

My good friend was visiting last weekend and we decided to check out a many different beers as we could on a mini beer crawl. The best way to do that is with some beer flights! We started out at one of my favorite places The Gingerman for our first. From left to right we had the Kona Wheat, Rouge Rastafari Rye, Dogfish Head Hellhound Ale and Captain Lawrence Pumpkin Ale. It was my first time having this Captain Lawrence and I really enjoyed the clean pumpkin flavors and toasty bread aroma. Price for this flight- $12.00. Onto Rattle and Hum for our next flight of beer we had the Founders Breakfast Stout, Mikkeller Jackie Brown, Kissmeyer Saison Du Fleur, Anderson Valley Bootlinger Weisse. Price for this flight- $10.00. Last but certainly not least onto Good Beer for one final flight. Here we have a Sierra Nevada Harvest, Clipper City Heavy Seas Marzen, Harpoon Pale Ale and Sly Fox Royal Weisse. Price for this flight- $8.00. Quite a good deal and made even better by t

NYC is a wonderful and magical place to visit around the holiday season. The Rockefeller Center tree is gorgeous, all the hotels are decked out in red and gold, holiday pop-up shops fill the parks- what could be better? Unfortunately you have to be prepared for what I can only describe as controlled chaos. You will be wrangled like cattle to see the tree, stand in line at a Starbucks for 30 minutes, not for a caffeine fix but to use the single smelly bathroom and you’ll probably be so pooped out from all of your shopping and touring that you’ll see a TGI Friday’s or Olive Garden and think it’s an oasis in the storm. Two hours later (because you’ll have to wait for a table like all of the other tourists who thought the line at McDonald’s and Subway were too long) you’ll wonder why the food and service were so crappy and suddenly your wallet is empty as well. It’s the holidays in NYC folks and one must be prepared to weather the season. If you’re from the city you should know thi