NYC Tastes

Bagatelle is definitely best known for its over the top afternoon brunch parties filled with magnums of champagne, DJ's and lots of fabulous people dancing the day away.   Not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon in my book but what about the other days of the week?  Well actually the other days of the week Bagatelle is a gorgeous, somewhat serene spot with some incredible food and a fun, classy atmosphere perfect for a party, a lively dinner or just some drinks and snacks at the bar.  Here's some shots from a recent food blogger dinner. Charcuterie Board- Coppa Calabresse, fennel salami, chorizo, country style pate, liver foie gras pate, smoked bacon saute and butter whipped cordo.  Meat upon meat upon meat; this is a great way to get a party started. Fried Calamari with pesto tzatziki sauce.  The breading on these was perfect- just lightly battered without a hint of grease. Steak Tartare Croustillant- bite sized rice cakes topped ...

La Sirena is the brand new restaurant from Italian superstars Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich.  The last venture these two opened in NYC was Eataly, arguably my favorite spot in the city, so I was beyond hyped up for this meal.  Usually this kind of excitement leads me down a dark path of sadness and disappointment but at La Sirena my every expectation was met and more. Let's start with the cocktail program which is fantastic.  The menu has over two dozen drinks broken down into six different categories like Fresh & Crisp, Rich & Robust and Stirred & Boozy.  Of course there are the classic Negroni's and Sicilian Sour's but also fun old favorites like the Singapore Sling served here with Cherry Herring and pineapple.  The space itself is stunning both inside and outside. The weather was fabulous when we dined so we opted for the terrace where the white tiled floors and fresh flowers made it feel like w...

The Torrisi brothers newest addition to the NYC scene is Santina, a kitschy Coastal Italian restaurant located under the entrance to the Highline.  I've always said one of my favorite things about living in NYC is the ability to feel miles away by just entering a different restaurant or bar.  When I'm feeling French countryside I head to Bouley, Sakagura for Japan and now Santina, for when I feel like being on some sort of bizarre Italian cruise ship. There's palm trees, orange trees and glass chandeliers...loud cha cha music playing overhead and men dressed in pastel cabin outfits pouring cocktails to the fashion elite crowd.  It's just bizarre ...but also kind of fun.  After my initial shock I kind of got into the whole crazy atmosphere beginning with the house specialty Cecina. This enormous chickpea-flour pancake arrived in a cast iron skillet to be rolled into Italian style tacos.  I chose the Calabrian Tuna as my filling, a spicy blend of tuna...

Last weekend we celebrated my Father's 75th birthday with dinner at Scapetta.  Italian restaurants have always been a favorite of my his and this meal started out strong with an amazing basket of bread. Thick slices of stromboli filled with smoked mozzarella were the star of the show...one paired with creamy spinach and the other spicy salami. Foccacia was used for the accouterments...creamy marscapone butter, citrus infused olive oil and a delicious eggplant caponata.  The bread was honestly so wonderful we devoured one basket and ordered a second. Braised Octopus with ceci beans, olives and pancetta was incredible. I loved the red wine flavor and was pleasantly surprised by the crisp exterior of the meat. Creamy Polenta with fricassee of truffled mushrooms was an absolute show stopper.  It was so rich and earthy...my spoon kept finding its way into that little bowl for just one more bite. Somehow Scott Conant found a way to take an incredibly bo...