NYC Tastes

It's officially rosé & rooftop season and the hottest new spot for both happens to be right across the street at The Broken Shaker NYC. This happening bar on top of the new Freehand Hotel boasts splashy pink drinks and lots of outdoor seating for just about any sized group. The west side of the restaurant has a row of two tops over looking Lexington Avenue. While the north side has room for larger groups with bright wicker chairs and kitschy wooden tables bringing a festive, tropical feeling to the space. The menu has a list of classic cocktails from the original bar in Miami along with a few new drinks made just for NYC, like the Everything Bagel Gin Fizz and the Curry in a Hurry, an homage to the fast casual Indian restaurant just up the street. The tropical, jungle like decor continues inside with a colorful DJ booth up front... ...and wooden walls matched with shiny tiled stools that evoke images of a very strange cruise ship. I dove into the Bad Attitu...

It's not every day that Mr. T gets excited about a brunch dish.  In fact our recent visit to the Llama Inn might be the very first time I've seen him actually happy at brunch and that's even with the loud bumping music playing overhead.   The Llama Inn is a new Peruvian restaurant located on the odd stretch of land below the Brooklyn Queens expressway in Williamsburg. We were just stopping by for a quick bite but ended up staying all afternoon after this dish completely blew us away- the Beef Tenderloin Stir Fry. Two perfectly fried eggs sat atop a mound of beef, french fries, tomato and slices of banana with a rich, slightly spicy sauce covering the base drizzled with rocoto pepper crema.  Everything about this dish was incredible- the meat was tender as a filet, the french fries somehow stayed crispy and the banana imparted a sweet tropical flavor that brought it all together. In addition to the incredible food the other big draw was obviously the Lla...