NYC Tastes

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 took the day off on Monday to do my annual Christmas day with myself. It’s always too crowded after work and on weekends to get near the tree and windows so a weekday off is necessary. But first I needed some food and once again a delicious tartare was calling my name. Since I was already planning to do a little holiday shopping in Columbus Circle, Porter House seemed like the perfect place. My Filet Mignon Tartare arrived and the first thing I noticed was the absence of an egg on top. Surprisingly I didn’t miss it. The meat held together just fine with some mustard and oil. There was some chopped onion inside and some capers and condiments on the side for mixing.   When it first arrived the meat looked almost cooked on top but as you can see it’s a luscious red inside. This was absolutely wonderful-probably in my top three of all time. It was a classic preparation done well. A smidge less olive oil and it could have been perfection.  My lovely glass of Pinot Noi...

For my second restaurant week lunch I was very excited to land a reservation at Union Square Café. This was Danny Meyer’s first restaurant and a classic example of fine dining in New York City. The day I went there was even a rumor that Mr. Meyer himself would be working one of the tables! Unfortunately it wasn’t ours but I did see the back of his head on my way in. We had a reservation at 2:00 PM and got a table in the large room up front. The place was absolutely packed with people. I’ve never seen such a crowded restaurant with the bar completely full and tons of people waiting for a possible seat. They started us out with usual basket of baguette, bread and crackers. Which we enjoyed alongside some black olives and delicious rosemary dusted butter. We were having trouble deciding what to order form the Restaurant Week menu so we started out with some oysters. These little guys were from Rhode Island and they were absolutely delicious. Sometime you get an oyster tha...

Last weekend was my birthday but instead of a fancy dinner I opted for a casual day of football with friends. My birthday’s have a pretty good track record of being horrible. Last year I missed my Locanda Verde reservation because I got into car accident and then Mr. T fell down a flight of stairs. Two years ago both Mr. T and I came down with a nasty case of food poisoning and had serious gastronomic distress for almost a week. I won’t go on and on about my birthday disasters but suffice it to say I’ve learned not to expect anything good on the big day itself. To be honest this year was no different. On the actual day there was a fight at the football bar, we got soaked trying to find a cab home and I ripped a favorite dress of mine. Yay Birthday! I woke up Monday morning and breathed a sigh of relief. Birthday over! Time for fun again! I had the day off and was ready to celebrate. Since Danny Meyer is my favorite restaurateur it’s almost sacrileges that I’ve never eaten at Union Sq...