NYC Tastes

It's New Brew Friday, the last day of June and I have a four day weekend coming up.  This is a serious time to celebrate with some local suds the Moon Roof from Hudson Valley Brewery. This hazy orange DIPA has been double dry hopped with Citra, Azacca and Idaho 7 hops giving it strong hints of melon on the nose with big flavors of melon, sweet mango and ripe pineapple with a bright juicy finish.  These guys brew up in Beacon, New York and have been taking over the taps in almost every bar I visited the last two weeks. Really great local brews perfect for this long holiday weekend.  Cheers! Hudson Valley Brewery 2 Churchill Street Beacon, NY 12508

Each June the Specialty Food Association kicks off their annual Summer Fancy Food Show at the Jacob Javits Center; three days filled with a staggering amount of the latest and greatest in the food and beverage industry.  This year was the biggest event yet with over 180,000 different specialty food products on the floor. Obviously with that many items I wasn't able to taste everything but I certainly did try (my body is still recovering).  Here are some of my favorites  from the show and some food trends to look forward to in 2017. Healthy beverages continued to dominate the show with hundreds of specialty coconut waters, vegetable driven energy drinks and things like  Oxigen Water  which contains 100 x's more oxygen than regular water by using highly stabilized O4 molecules. It promises increased stamina, higher mental clarity and improved  endurance.  I honestly drank this most of the festival and reall...

Ahhhhh my neighborhood happy hour spot Barbounia.  I love absolutely everything about this gorgeous Mediterranean restaurant.  The long sleek marble bar, the festive music overheard and of course the cocktails I'm a little obsessed with the Basilka made with pressed basil, pear and St. Germain. I also love their small plates like spicy feta with jalapenos and lightly fried rings of calamari. Every food order comes with their incredible fresh baked rosemary bread that's perfect for sharing.  Happy Hour runs from 3:00-7:00 PM seven days a week with deals on wine, cocktails and champagne. Barbounia 250 Park Avenue South New York, NY 10003

It's New Brew Friday and time for a collaboration beer from two great breweries on the east coast Stillwater Artisanal in Maryland and Aslin Brewing in Virginia- Recess.   This beer pours a gorgeous deep pink color with tight little bubbles that cling to the sides and bottom of the glass.  The aroma is big fresh raspberries with a tart creamy raspberry flavor balanced with a hint of lime.  This beer is dry, sour and incredibly refreshing.  Perfect for crushing during this summer heat- Cheers to the weekend! Aslin Beer Company 257 Sunset Park Drive Herndon, VA 20170

Ahhh New York City food crazes... There was the year of the Cronut, the year of the cupcake, the year of the rainbow bagel.  Now it seems like the year of cookie dough has arrive and that's thanks to this tiny new spot  DŌ. My childhood favorite cookie dough right from the bowl now available in multiple flavors and safe.  No more fear of salmonella!   DO offers all sorts of great flavors like Brownie Batter and Oatmeal M&M, Peanut Butter Snickerdoodle and Fluffernutter but I like the classics- one scoop of chocolate chip and a dollop of Sugar Cookie sans topping.  The line stretches across the street and can last up to two hours on sunny days so stop in at open (right around 11:00 am) for a quick bite or be prepared to wait.   Cookie DŌ 550 LaGuardia Place New York, NY 10012

I always get a little stressed out when I'm asked to pick a spot to eat near the Lincoln Center.  There are a lot of great places in that area for sure but I find so many of them to be overpriced and geared towards the tourist crowd.  Luckily the Smith opened its doors a few years ago and although it is also overpriced in my opinion it is easily the best brunch spot in the area that consistently cranks out delicious food with excellent service. Hot Potato Chips layered with a blue cheese fondue and blue cheese crumbles...  ...a decadent Breakfast Pot Pie stuffed with sweet sausage, bacon, eggs and cremini mushrooms encased in a fluffy cheddar biscuit...   ...and the Simple Scramble with home fries and crispy smoked bacon.  Not exactly a healthy meal but certainly a satisfying start to the weekend. The Smith 1900 Broadway at 66th Street New York, NY 10023

Saturday was such a cold, wet mess the only thing Mr. T and I felt like doing was curling up with a big bowl of matcha at Radiance Tea House. I used to frequent the Midtown West location quite a bit but this was my first time at the East Side restaurant.  The space was a bit smaller and more sparsely decorated but the tea and food list was just as extensive as always. After some soothing sips of tea and biscuits an order of Szechuan style wontons arrived. I am absolutely OBSESSED with these dumplings lately.  Ever since Yaso Tangbao took wontons off their menu I have this insane fear deep down that they will be erased from menus everywhere and can't stop eating them.  The radiance dumplings were much firmer than most with big chunks of fresh white meat chicken sprinkled with green onion and cilantro. Mr. T added on an order of Golden Crispy Oversized prawns and these were seriously the biggest shrimp I've ever seen; easily four to five times the size of a regul...