NYC Tastes

I’ve long heard of Michael’s Restaurant in midtown- highly known for its power lunch scene of all people who should see and be seen in media. In my field of work a power lunch is almost non-existent but the idea behind this restaurant always intrigued me. So I when I was invited to check out their new cocktail program and fall menu I was thrilled. It wasn’t a power lunch but at least I could experience the food and ambiance. We began by checking out the new cocktail list from mixologist Michael Flannery. I ordered the Happy Hacienda and my friend had the Solera Sazarac. Both of these drinks were really strong with big, bold flavors up front- almost manly. However the addition of a little lemon twist and a candied orange peel brought a delicate balance to the drinks that gave a sweeter softer side. Next up some delicious bar snacks. There were bright zesty scallop shooters, deliciously fatty glazed pork belly sliders and rich caramelized onion burgers. However my favorite...

It isn’t every day that one starts a meal with an appetizer of bacon and follows up with an entrée of straight meat. That is reserved solely for Peter Lugers. Well to be completely truthful our latest meal started out with their delicious bread basket and some beers. It’s hard to resist the wonderful smell of garlic and onion coming from the rolls but I never fill up on the carbs here. That would be sacrilegious since my bacon appetizer was on the way. If you’ve never been to Peter Lugers you might not understand the draw of the bacon here but you should. It’s a thick, salty slab with crunchy edges and an awesome smoky flavor. I never cared for the Luger Steak sauce until I tried it on the bacon. Somehow that cocktail sauce flavor works wonders on this piece of pork. And speaking of the steak- here’s the porterhouse for three. Good lord have you ever seen such a beautiful plate of meat in your entire life? No really here’s a close up. The meat is so moist and s...

Is there anything better than whiling away a Saturday drinking delicious beers next to a warm fire? It’s probably one of our favorite things to do. Blind Tiger is our go to spot for this and last Saturday before diving into the brews we ordered their BLT sandwich. I’m not a huge sandwich person honestly but the slow roasted slab bacon and herb mayo on this thing was so delicious! Plus it was on sourdough, my personal favorite bread. I washed that down with a robust Brooklyn Intensified Coffee Stout. What a perfect little Saturday treat. Blind Tiger Ale House

Over in Brooklyn Heights sits Tazza, a mainly coffee and bakery type place that also morphs into a wine and panini bar as the day goes on. I’ve walked by a million times, looking at their sweets but never really stopping. Until one day last week when the cupcakes inside looked so delicious I just had to have one. I asked the woman behind the counter what the flavors were and I was surprised she didn’t know. After a few moments she consulted a menu and was able to list off the names but looked pretty unsure of her descriptions so I just picked one and hoped for the best. Opening up the wrapper I was hit with such an intense smell of fresh apples and a hint of cider. Peeling away the wrapper an insanely moist cake was reveled with little flecks of real apple throughout. The edges of the cupcake top were perfectly chewy and the ultra silky vanilla cream was extra buttery with just a drizzle of maple syrup and oat crisp on top! I ate every last bite of this cupcake including ...

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! I enjoyed mine in Florida once again with Mr. T’s family. His sister-in-law made the most amazing risotto our first night there. It was absolutely perfect- rich, creamy and topped off with a fresh shave of white truffle. We also got spoiled by a ton of yummy wines and I even found a Cigar City beer I had never had before- the Cubano Style Espresso Brown Ale. I loved the nutty toffee and roasted coffee bean flavor. I might have to ask the guys at Good Beer if they can get some in stock. All in all it was a fabulous Thanksgiving and I’m already in full holiday mode! Bring on the trees and lights!

Man November has been busy! We attended this tasting a few weeks ago but it was so wonderful I just have to tell you about it. Now I’ve been to La Scuola before for some promotional tastings but this was one we bought so I was excited to see how it compared. The wine line up looked great and when I saw the first food course I was really excited! Two wonderful pieces of Montauk Striped Bass Crudo with a little slice of blood orange on top. Talk about a great start to the tasting! We enjoyed this with our Cuvee Rose Brut and it was a match made in heaven. Next up some Salumi E Fromaggi Misti. I love trying different meats and cheese with wine. It’s probably one of my favorite things in the world. Here the gorgonzola was surprisingly smooth and I loved tasting the two different types of pecorino- one called the poor mans and one regular. After this start I was getting pretty stuffed between all the bread and wine but more was to come. Actually it was straight up dinne...

I was feeling a little home sick pre-Thanksgiving last week and just needed a break from the city. So I took a quick weekend trip up to Buffalo and relaxed with a wonderful dinner at Rue Franklin with two of my favorite friends! Being that it was girls night we had to begin with some cocktails! We stopped at Cabaret first for a few martini’s before moving over to Rue for our meal. I loved the old French vibe inside of the restaurant. All the men were in tuxedo’s and the white linen table cloths and shiny silver serving trays just seemed to fit. To begin a bottle of Chardonnay and some Malpeque Oysters. I always love Malpeque Oysters- they have the perfect balance of sweetness and brine and these were no different. They gave us a tart vignette on the side but I find the oysters have enough flavor that nothing else is needed. My friend and I happily slurped away on these while the non-oyster lover of the bunch went for soup- a Parsnip and Pear with Bacon. This had a...