NYC Tastes

The list for Summer Restaurant Week 2013 just went up on the  NYC GO  website yesterday.  I'm very happy to see some of my old favorites are back  like Quality Meats and Cafe Boulud.  This year I hope to check out a couple some new places like Hakkasan in Hell's Kitchen and maybe even the international culinary center L'Ecole.  Whatever cuisine strikes your fancy I've learned some tried and true rules for having a good meal- so here's the list of tips again. Maple Budino at Locanda Verde RW 2012 1. Research the menus BEFORE booking. Just because you’ve always wanted to go to a certain restaurant doesn’t mean RW is the time to do it. One of my first RW experiences I showed up at a place I had been dying to try out and there were only two entrée choices- Salmon and Mushroom Risotto. I’m allergic to salmon and at the time I was in a serious risotto funk. Obviously I did not enjoy my meal very much. The men...

I've had a lot of Burrata in my day.  Let's face it...I live one block from Eataly so I practically eat a creamy ball of cheese once a week.  But I've never had a Burrata quite like this before. Let me start at the beginning.  I was invited to a fabulous cheese tasting last week led by Philadelphia's famed Di Bruno Bros. with wine pairings from Moore Brothers to celebrate the launch of their cookbook: Di Buno Bros. House of Cheese: A Guide to Wedges, Recipes and Pairings .  This book is incredible.   There is a ton of information along with photos so people like me can throw together a beer and cheese party and actually know what we're doing.   The author Tenya Darlington (AKA Madame Fromage) and Emilio Mignucci (third generation  owner of Di Bruno Bros.) were on hand and took us through the tasting which highlighted a cheese from each chapter of the book.  The chapters are named for the type of cheeses such as Baby Faces for fresh unaged ch...

The 4th of July is over now it's time to have a beer and break this incredible heat we're going through.  Today's pick the newest from Founders- Rubaeus. This beer has fresh raspberries added in five different stages of the brewing process.  This results in a layering of raspberry flavor that's tart, sweet and full in your face fruity.  This would pair nicely would a giant slice of rich chocolate cake.  Cheers! Founders Brewing

Hopefully you're hitting up some sort of BBQ today followed by an incredibly firework display over the West Side.  I'm bringing along one of my favorite treats- Baked By Melissa and they're special Independence Day Offering. I'm a huge fan of their regular Tie-Dye cake but this one takes it a step further with a creamy vanilla icing and a special surprise on top...Pop Rocks! What a perfect treat to celebrate with- Happy 4th! Baked by Melissa

Ahhhh...there's nothing like visiting an old classic. It's been a couple years since I stopped in for a meal at Congee Village but it was business as usual on my recent visit.  The room was packed with large groups of families and assorted college students sharing large plates of food and numerous Mai Tai's.  Mr. T and I decided to order our old favorites...don't laugh at my Sesame Chicken order.  Yes it's Americanized Chinese food but it's done incredibly well here and come on...I was young once and this was my go to order. Each bite is an enormous chunk of white meat chicken with a crispy outside that's both sweet and sour with a nice crunch and some gorgeous green broccoli.  Mr. T's favorite was always the Peking Style Pork. The meat is super crispy, covered in a spicy red sauce and fried.  It's got a lot going on and may not be for everyone but he just loves it.  The waiter service was spotty as usual...I don't think I've ...

I'm in love with all things sourdough and seafood...so Dan Kluger's Crab Toast with Lemon Aioli is right up my alley. He takes a thick slice of sourdough bread and slathers it with olive oil before pressing onto a hot griddle.   Then add huge layers of fresh crab and spices like tarragon and rosemary and top everything off with dollops of Sriracha Mayonnaise.  It's rich, creamy and incredibly decadent.   This is definitely something to share since one alone may put you into a food coma...but it would be a good food coma:) ABC Kitchen

I've never been a huge fan of the Frozen Yogurt explosion.  I don't like the sour taste of Pinkberry and most of the other big chains have the same taste to me.  It wasn't until a friend told me to check out YoArt in the basement of the Plaza Hotel that I found my calling.  First up the yogurt itself... ...with flavors like Ghiradelli Chocolate and Praline Crunch who needs that sour stuff.  And talk about toppings... They have everything you could ever want!  Chocolate covered pretzels, crushed up Butterfingers, Heath Bars and Clodhoppers... ...dozens of fresh fruits, nuts and berries for every palate...but wait there's more.  Head to the walls! It's almost dizzying trying to figure out what toppings to choose from there are literally THAT many.  Chocolate covered cranberries, licorice gems, and M&M's... Toasted coconut, espresso beans, different kinds of cereal... OMG they even have Goldfis...