NYC Tastes

Ahhhhh my neighborhood happy hour spot Barbounia.  I love absolutely everything about this gorgeous Mediterranean restaurant.  The long sleek marble bar, the festive music overheard and of course the cocktails I'm a little obsessed with the Basilka made with pressed basil, pear and St. Germain. I also love their small plates like spicy feta with jalapenos and lightly fried rings of calamari. Every food order comes with their incredible fresh baked rosemary bread that's perfect for sharing.  Happy Hour runs from 3:00-7:00 PM seven days a week with deals on wine, cocktails and champagne. Barbounia 250 Park Avenue South New York, NY 10003

Barbounia is one of those great happy hour spots that does everything right. Reasonably priced beer and wine, delicious food and a gorgeous atmosphere perfect for a girls night out...not to mention the fantastic cocktails. My favorite is the Basilika made with pear vodka, St. Germain, pressed basil and cucumber. It's light and refreshing, just perfect for this incredible Spring weather.  The small plates menu has something for just about anyone like Crispy Calamari, creamy Hummus and Iron Skillet Shrimp doused with fresh oregano, garlic confit and parsley.   Plus happy hour runs from 3:00- 7:00 every single day so even Saturday gets some Mediterranean love. Barbounia 250 Park Avenue South @20th New York, NY 10003

When my best friend from college came into the city last week I wanted to schedule some serious catch up time.  We chat here and there through email and Facebook but we needed much more than that.  We needed a few hours of one-on-one talk preferably with lots of champagne cocktails and delicious food to accompany it.   Barbounia offers a regular a la carte brunch on Saturday and Sunday with an option for unlimited champagne, Bellini's and Mimosa's for $18.95 a person.  Looks like I found our place! I made a reservation for 1:00 Sunday and the gorgeous room was absolutely packed.  Luckily we got seated right away and started with a trio of Mezze...hummus, tzatziki and spicy feta. All three were wonderful but the standout was the spicy feta.  It was incredibly creamy with a lingering pepper finish that just made you want more and more. A piping hot baguette wa...