NYC Tastes

I was scouting around work the other day, trying to find something decent for lunch in the dead zone near Herald Square when I spotted a tiny window with some gorgeous illuminated truffles.  I took a step inside and smelled the unforgettable aroma of rich dark chocolate and herb that I fondly recall from my afternoons at Kee's  in SOHO.  I was so excited for a location near work!  I couldn't decide what I wanted first...the nutty Black Sesame, the creamy Green Tea...no today it would be one of the absolute best, the Creme Brulee Truffle. The woman behind the counter will warn you to eat this all in one bite.  It's a warning you should heed because the thin, dark chocolate shell may crack into pieces and you could lose all the custard inside. I've eaten enough of these to know just the right amount of pressure to put on the shell in order to prevent cracking. I'm always shocked how thick and eggy the custard is.  It's lig...

There seems to be an overabundance of “hidden” cocktails bars popping up all over this city. Our favorite of all time is the old and reliable Angel’s Share but we’ve been frequenting Apotheke and Death & Company as well. Then we received an email from Mr. Trekkers Mom about another one of these new “hidden” places the Raines Law Room. It happened to be pretty close to our apartment so Saturday night we decided to check it out. Raines Law room is on 17th street at the bottom of an unmarked staircase. I wouldn’t have even noticed something was there if it weren’t for the blue winter storm door in front. In order to get inside we had to ring a buzzer and wait patiently until a well dressed man let us in. The room itself was beautiful. There was a low tin ceiling, plush velvet couches and candles all along the walls. Some nice jazz music was playing in the background and it just felt really comfortable Unfortunately my eyes hadn’t quite adjusted to the darkness and I had to...