NYC Tastes

There are so many reasons to love the Little Owl.  The restaurant is located on one of the cutest corners in the West Village with big windows on each side perfect for doing some people watching.  The inside is super cozy with romantic candle lit tables at night and a lively, chatty crowd during the day and of course some amazing food. Everyone knows about their signature Gravy Meatball Sliders but for brunch I highly suggest ordering the Poached Eggs, served with thick rounds of breakfast sausage, greens and hollandaise sauce all on top a fluffy fontina cheese biscuit.  It's a hearty and homey dish that will fill your belly with love and practically guarantee a fantastic day ahead. The Little Owl 90 Bedford Street at Grove New York, NY 10014

Ahhhh...summer restaurant week. The perfect excuse to take off a few hours from work and have a long leisurely lunch somewhere new.  Or in this case somewhere old- Tom Colicchio's very first restaurant Craft.  This has been a staple in my neighborhood since way back in 2002.  I was honestly a little surprised to see it on the Restaurant Week list and with such a great menu of options.  My friend and I had a little trouble deciding what to order but in the end I think we choose extremely well.  To begin Fluke Crudo with melon, pickled ginger and cilantro... ...and Chilled Zucchini Soup with sweet corn, gold bar squash and shrimp. I eat a lot  of Fluke Crudo (being that it's on just about every menu these days) and this version was excellent.  I absolutely hate cilantro so I took that off but the dish didn't suffer a bit. The melon and jalapeno gave a spicy, fruity punch to the fish and the seeds added a satisfying crunch to each bite....

I was feeling pretty sentimental earlier this month when Lin Manuel gave his very last performance in Hamilton.  Ever since I had the amazing opportunity to see the show (thanks to my friends Justin and Cate) I listen to the entire album an average of 4-5 times per week. That might sound insane but there's something so addictive about it I just can't get enough. So on Lin's final night I decided to go back to the very restaurant I dined at right after seeing the show- Momofuku Nishi- to pay tribute to the show.  Since my last visit there have been quite a few changes to the menu and even the service was a bit different than before- in a good way.  The servers seemed more comfortable in the space, more knowledgeable about the menu and beers were poured with care instead of one big glass of foam. We started once again with the Fried Whole Shrimp dusted with salt and pepper. Mr. T loves these things. Eating the shells always makes...

In the never ending search for the city's best happy hour we stopped into Union Square's Tarallucci E Vino Friday night.  It was about 5:30 and this lively little wine bar was already jam packed with people at all of tables and bar stools in front. It was about 90 degrees outside so I'm pretty sure the usual patio goers had passed up those outdoor seats in favor of some cold AC.  In a move to beat the heat Mr. T and I went for our usual summer order of pink drinks; a dry Negroni and a crisp fruity rose. We were heading to dinner in a few hours but looking at their bar menu I started having second thoughts.  Eggplant Caponata with tomato and capers, Cashews, Peanuts and Pecans dusted with chili and sea salt, Blue Point Oysters; finally we decided to cave in and split an order of the Bufala Milk Ricotta. Creamy Ricotta cheese spread thick atop grilled baguette then dressed with roasted grapes and sweet honey.  This was the perfect little snack to comple...

Isn't it crazy to think that in a city filled with so many different cuisines like big bowls of Pho from Vietnam, spicy Mapo Tofu from China and even those huge Beef Ribs of Texas, that only two or three places exist focusing on Hawaiian food; and year old Noreetuh happens to be one of them. Located in a tiny space just off St. Mark's Noreetah is a sparsely decorated, casual spot helmed by Chef Chung Chow (former sous chef at Per Se).  The menu is broken into three sections beginning with "snacks" like salty, earthy Taro Chips dusted with shaved black truffle, perfect for munching on with a crisp cold Hawaiian beer or possibly a bit more daring the Mochiko Chicken Wings. The first bite of these wings can be a little harsh, almost like biting straight into the rind of a citrus fruit.  That would be the Calamansi; a Filipino hybrid of the mandarin orange and kumquat that has a strong sour, bitter flavor. It can be a bit shocking but I implore you to k...

It's New Brew Friday and I'm drinking a beer that's so new I didn't even know it existed- Double Two Hearted from Bells Brewery in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  I've always been a big fan of their regular Centennial hopped IPA Two Hearted so seeing this double version on tap at the Double Windsor is sheer excitement. Huge aromas of candied orange, grapefruit and pine burst from the glass.  All the flavors of a regular Two Hearted are present but ultra magnified; intense grapefruit, mango, pine and sweet malt with an aggressively bitter hoppy finish.  This is one big boozy DIPA- cheers to the weekend! Bell's Brewery

BBQ and America go together just like beer and pretzels.  So 4th of July we headed to Fette Sau to celebrate and have a much needed meat fest. Fette Sau is set up very similar to Hometown BBQ with a counter in the back for ordering food, a separate bar focused on local craft beers and big communal tables both indoors and outside. The line was pretty long when we arrived but it ended up taking us only about 20 minutes to get to the ordering station.  I was pretty bummed that the smoked pastrami and beef ribs both ran out before we got to the front.  I guess that's one of the downfalls of dining over a holiday weekend. However we did our usual over-ordering and had more than enough to eat with Spare Ribs, Pulled Pork and Brisket.   I really liked the smoky, crackly brisket that was right in between fatty and lean and of course the amazing side of Baked Beans. The sauce was a bit too rich but the massive amount of bur...