NYC Tastes

Friday night bites at Vini e Fritti; always a fantastic way to kick off the weekend.  This Roman style apertivo bar located in the Redbury Hotel was opened last year by my favorite restaurateur Danny Meyer.   The small space is adorned simply with a handful of four tops, a long marble bar and big windows up front perfect for watching the busy streets outside.  I always intend to just pop in for a drink but once those small plates of fritti start to stream out of the kitchen, its impossible to resist. Gnoccho Fritto con Prosciutto e Parmiginao; impossibly light fried pockets of pizza dough topped with layers of prosciutto and pepper dusted parmigiana cheese. Crostino di Straccistella con Pomodorini; some of the creamiest mozzarella cheese that ever existed drizzled with olive oil & preserved tomato on focaccia bread. My favorite spot is at the windows up front with a glass of champagne or a classic Negroni, slowly watching the evening slip...

When I was in college up near tiny Allegany, New York my friends and I were so deprived for good food that when Tim Horton's opened up we went there for breakfast, lunch AND dinner opening day.  We were like little Tim Horton cheerleaders.  Obviously that seems insane to me now, or at least it did until Daily Provisions opened last week and I've found myself inside the amazingly cute space eating all sorts of delicacies every damn day.  I'm seriously obsessed. They have delicious drip coffee served alongside some of the best baked goods in the city like Everything Croissants stuffed with cream cheese, warm slices of toast rubbed with apple preserves and the flaky Kouign- Amann studded with orange and vanilla. For a more hearty breakfast they offer three types of Egg Sandwiches including an Italian special with peppers and provolone and the classic Breakfast Sausage with smoked Gouda and spicy house wake up sauce; Along with two Breakfast Gougeres ...

Finally one of my all time favorite dining spots has returned.  Danny Meyer's first restaurant and a NYC institution Union Square Cafe is back from the dead after a year hiatus and a four block move into the old City Crab space on Park Avenue South.  It's amazing what they did to the interior of the restaurant- it holds the same layout as City Crab but the large window shades at half mast and dark green decor of the long wooden bar evoke all the memories of the original Cafe. I was incredibly happy to see the rosemary dusted bar nuts surface as I my drink appeared, another staple from the original days.  And of course their incredible Candele pasta; a gorgeous blend of carrots, pancetta, scallions and creamy Greek yogurt studded with spicy Fresno chilies.  I could eat this pasta every day and be a very happy lady.  But for now I'll just be happy that this wonderful restaurant has returned :) Union Square Cafe 101 East 19th Street at Park Avenue New ...

I love living so close to all of Danny Meyers restaurants.  It's so easy to pop into Gramercy Tavern for a bite at the bar, Blue Smoke for some ribs or over to Maialino for a glass of wine and a delicious dessert. The seasonal Strawberry Rhubarb Sundae was catching my eye on my last visit but the Hazelnut Chocolate Bread Pudding won out in the end (as chocolate usually does). Rich eggy cake sitting atop a swirl of hazelnut cream and topped with a dollop of Vanilla Bean Marscapone and Praline crunchies.  Bread Pudding perfection. Maialino 2 Lexington Avenue at 21st Street New York, NY 10010

I did a quick pop into Untitled the other day, the newest restaurant from Chef Michel Anthony of Gramercy Tavern.  Located on the ground floor of the Whitney Museum the open dining room has a comfortable feel to it with big windows looking over Gansevoort Street and homey touches like blue gingham covering the bread and a cute wooden knife for the butter. The menu has four different sections of snacks, small plates, veggies and mains.  Of course any time I see Beef Tartare it's a must order and this one was fantastic.  The beef was chopped fine then dressed with shavings of black radish, fresno chilis, Sorano beans and pumpkin seed salsa. Each bite had a little bit of heat and satisfying nutty crunch. Delicious! Untitled at the Whitney 99 Gansevoort Street New York, NY 10014

Fried Chicken = always good.  Shake Shack = always good.  Fried Chicken Shake Shack sandwich...how could this possibly be a bad. The newest item to hit the Shack Shake menu includes a white meat chicken breast with thick sliced pickles, shredded lettuce and buttermilk herb mayo on a butter toasted bun. The chicken is seasoned with lots of black pepper and served super crisp.  I really liked the crunchy outer coating and the meat was incredibly tender.  However as I sat there eating I started to think about all of the other things I love about Shake Shack.  Those plump tomatoes, melted cheese and that awesome Shack Sauce...maybe even some crispy bacon.  Could I possibly customize my own Chicken Club Shack sandwich? Stay Tuned... Shake Shack Brooklyn Locations only for a limited time

My  first experience  at Marta was good.  I loved the ultra thin cracker crust and fresh toppings, but really wanted to explore more of the menu.  This time I brought multiple dining companions and had the opportunity to try out much more like these Green Risotto Croquettes. Each log was filled with rice, mozzarella cheese and herbs then fried until brown and crispy. I was surprised how much just a squeeze of lemon juice brought out the bright flavors of the herbs inside.  There was no need for any other sort of sauce...these were delicious on their own. The classic Margherita was wonderful; simply seasoned with just a little olive oil and basil.  I actually liked this much better than the Margherita di Bufala from my  previous visit .   But the best pie of the night was easily the Salsiccia topped with Pork Sausage, Cremini Mushroom, Mozzarella and Pecorino.  Everything on this pie just worked creating a gorgeous med...