NYC Tastes

Fast casual restaurants have taken over this city the past few years, and while I personally think most are best suited for a generic lunch, there's one spot that works well for any meal, Mexicue.  This laid back Mexican/BBQ spot began as a food truck back in 2010; roaming the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn serving up delicious tacos filled with pickled cabbage, cotija cheese and all kinds of smoked meat. Then in 2014 they set up shop at three locations across the city, expanding their menu from tacos and sliders to bowls, burritos and all sorts of fantastic cocktails. Today the menu at Mexicue continues to evolve with items like Cornbread French Toast at brunch, bourbon fueled Mexican Mules during happy hour and their delicious Impossible Tacos, that taste exactly like the ground meat tacos Mom used to make but completely vegetarian.  Of course the old favorites are still around as well, like those spicy brisket tacos topped with thick lime crema....

I love Park Avenue Winter; the concept of changing not only the menu, but the entire decor of a restaurant for each season is just amazing.  Bright rays of yellow dot the ceiling in the summer, brown and gold leaves in fall, and in winter an elegant sheath of white sprinkled with sparkling glass globes.  It's simply stunning.  Now they've introduced a nightly wine dinner where guests can chose any appetizer, entree and dessert with unlimited tastings of four different wines for just $69. Our meal began with glasses of Prosecco as we mulled over the extensive choices for dinner.  Then it was onto a bright, grassy Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, which paired perfectly with my blood orange & chili Hamchi Curdo. Next a lovely Pinot Noir from California poured alongside a Roasted Halibut dressed with earthy black truffles...  ...and to finish a hearty Antinori Sangiovese with dessert. Once we tasted our way through all four wines we were free...

As the polar vortex continues to unleash freezing temps across the city, we search for more warmth in comfort food like the velvety Tomato Soup & Adult Grilled Cheese from Sarabeth's. Adult here really just means excessive; as in excessive amounts of glorious melted cheddar, manchego and gruyere cheese sandwiched between a buttery Bavarian pretzel roll dusted with salt. This sandwich has enough cheesy goodness to provide comfort for days, especially when dunked properly into the creamy tomato soup. This thick broth is full of chopped shallots, chunky tomato and even more cheddar cheese shredded on top, making this the ultimate soup and sandwich comfort combo. Sarabeth's 381 Park Avenue South at 27th Street New York, NY 10016

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...

To celebrate our wedding anniversary we picked The Grill this year; the old Four Seasons spot located inside the iconic Seagram's Building.  The lounge looks very similar to what it used to with a square shaped bar, big windows overlooking 52nd Street and Richard Lippold's gorgeous but slightly terrifying wire sculpture hanging from center ceiling.   It was quite full with the after work crowd so when Mr. T was announced by the hostess (yes they do this type of thing here) we decided to head to the table for an apertif instead.   Bread Service- grilled Sourdough, Parker House Roll & Pretzel Stick with herb butter.  I'm a little obsessed with great butter and this was definitely up there in flavor; smooth and creamy with a nice balance of chive and garlic.   The Pasta a la Presse~ a dish unknown to both of us before this dinner.  The server brings over a bowl of pheasant, duck and chicken to show the table.  It...

I absolutely love Winter Restaurant Week.  It always starts at the end of January and completely saves me from my first "Sunday without football" blues. Okay I guess the Pro Bowl was on this past weekend but I don;t think I've ever watched that.  This year I decided to head uptown to Vaucluse, the beautiful French restaurant that took over the Park Avenue Winter space a few years back. I love the interior of this restaurant; everything is so comfortable and elegant with big fluffy white banquettes lining the walls and crisp linen cloths on each table.  I was dining solo so I opted to sit in the beautiful bar room to sip on my cocktail and listen to the jazz trio serenading the brunch crowd. 1st Course Lobster Bisque~ Three meaty chunks of lobster and crab enrobed in a silky lobster broth, poured table-side, with tarragon and creme fraiche.  This soup was phenomenal.  I could taste all the big, bold flavors of the ocean without that ...

Every year around the holidays I take a few hours off from work, hit up the Rockefeller Center tree and all the 5th avenue windows, then finish the afternoon with a fancy lunch.  This year I decided to stay right in Midtown and dine at the gorgeous Greek restaurant Avra Madison Estiatorio.  This sprawling spot just steps from Central Park was bustling with a large contingent of "Ladies who Lunch" enjoying some wine and chattering away about the latest NYC gossip.   Every meal at Avra begins with a platter of rosemary dusted flatbread served alongside a thick, creamy hummus, sliced radish and black olives. It's a delightful and delicious change from the usual basket of bread. First course Tuna Tartare with avocado and crispy shallots dressed in a soy ginger sauce.  This was exquisite, the tuna was chopped a bit more firm than most tartares giving a nice texture contrast to the fresh cut avocado while the ginger added a slightly spicy kick. Second course Chi...

My final birthday celebration was a solo lunch at Gabriel Kreuther.  Located right off Bryant Park on 42nd Street this restaurant is like a hidden oasis of calm and beauty right in the middle of busy Midtown East.  Long wooden beams surround the main dining area with a bright platinum ceiling and luxurious ivory banquettes dotting the floor.   The menu is described as Alsatian inspired cuisine and lunch offers a two course prix fixe for $58 with the option of additional savory courses at $29 a plate.  My meal began with a classic Austrian Kugelhof; a springy sponge like cake flecked with raisins and citrus.  I'm not a huge bread person but this was incredible.  I loved the light fluffy texture of the dough and the creamy chive butter that arrived alongside could make just about any dish a five star experience. Four small amuse bouche followed including a creamy corn chowder croquette, a crispy scallop chip and green tea black pepper ge...

The birthday celebration continued Monday night at Atoboy, a Korean inspired small plate restaurant from Chef Junghyun.  I actually took Mr. T to Chef Junghyun's first restaurant Jungsik  for his birthday about 5 years ago and we absolutely loved it.  Atoboy is like Jungsik's more casual, affordable younger sister offering a 3 course tasting menu for just $39.  Guests choose one plate from each section of the menu and share family style. Scallops~ jicima, sea urchin and gim ($15 supplement for fresh uni) Beef Tartare~ lardo, yeolmoo kimchi and myungran Corn~ taleggio, bacon and doenjang Sunchoke~ oyster mushroom, black truffle and orange Chicken~ spicy peanut butter and garlic Pork Jowl~ barley, ssamjang and cipollini onion Seaweed Rice ($2 extra) Standout dishes of the meal were the Sunchoke, Scallop with sea urchin and Pork Jowl.  The Sunchoke was simple in composition but the citrus from the ora...