NYC Tastes

I did so much during my stay it would take a week to rehash all the food I ate. So here's a quick wrap up.  As usual I stopped into the Bar Bill for my favorite Buffalo Wings in the world. I seriously start to drool a little just looking at this picture.  If you love wings this is a serious must when visiting.  I started every morning with my family at Elm Street Bakery for coffee and pastries. I enjoyed a wonderful Lobster Salad with my parents at Black and Blue. And I even had a chance to stop by the old Broadway Market right in downtown Buffalo.  The Broadway Market used to be like Reading Terminal in Philadelphia  packed with food vendors and families shopping for groceries and picking up lunch.  The old space looked so empty I could hardly believe my eyes.  I was getting really sad walking around until I saw Melanie's Bakery at the very end of the market.  One bite of these pumpkin cookies and I ...

It seems like ages ago now but I had a fantastic trip to Buffalo a few weeks back.  It's always wonderful to see family and friends but this time we threw in a little fine dining as well.  Have you ever seen such a massive and delicious looking Bone Marrow? Let's be honest now...when you hear the city of Buffalo, the last thing you think of is fine dining.  Believe it or not among the Chicken Wings, Beef on Weck and beers we have some pretty amazing restaurants and it just seems to be getting better.  The completely remodeled and revamped Lafayette Hotel which houses Mike A's simply oozes old world charm.   We started out in the Lounge area with some fabulous cocktails  like the Bitter Beginnings above and the Twinkle Toes below. The Bitter Beginnings  made of Green Tea Pisco and Agave had just the right amount of heat and bitterness while the Twinkle Toes was light, bubbly and refres...

What a wonderful sight to come home to yesterday as our apartment finally got back power and water. The Union Square Green Market moved uptown right outside the Flatiron.  We were able to replenish all the fruits and veggies we had tossed out and it was just nice to have some normalcy back. I'll go back to regular posting tomorrow but don't forget about those still without a home or power.  There's still a lot of work to do but I have faith NYC will make it happen.

Sorry for the extreme lull in posting.  Mr. T and I have been without power or water since Monday but are trying to keep in good spirits.  We survived on our pie from South Brooklyn Pizza for a few days. I have to say this was a serious pre-Hurricane score.  The pizza was delicious and held up amazing well for about three days.  When that ran out we were lucky enough to find Hill Country BBQ open yesterday. What's better than a big plate of smoked meat and a couple of cold beers?  Plus we could actually use a working bathroom and our cell phones.  We walked up to Hell's Kitchen finally last night to stay with friends and shower.  We are certainly fortunate to have people helping us out right now and we are nowhere near the worst.  It's humbling to see the damage that has happened to some people.  I'm thinking of everyone hit by the storm and sending only good, positive vibes out to you.  Stay Safe Everyone!

It's been over a year since I last stopped into the cozy, brick walled Ten Belles.  It was early evening and the normally crowded bar area was surprisingly calm. I ordered a crisp Brut Rose and perused the new menu. I was sad to see the rich, delicious mac and cheese had gone as well as their spicy tartare. I decided to go with the Jumbo Sea Scallop "a la coque".... I'm not sure what I was expecting exactly.  I know the menu clearly reads "scallop in a shell", but for $10 I guess I wanted a bit more fanfare.  The scallop just seemed a little lonely in that big old shell by himself, drowning in butter.  I'd stick with their $1 Oyster Happy Hour instead.  Now that's a great deal. The Ten Bells

Our Greenport weekend continued with a full day of wine tasting.  We started out at Shinn Estate where we had a great table right inside the winery. Then it was onto Lenz for a tasting outside among the trees.  We brought along some great cheese and meat for snacking but a proper lunch was much in need for all the wine tasting.  Luckily the North Fork Food Truck was right along our route. The truck looks more like a mini bus with painted wheels and a colorful chalkboard menu out front.  Everything sounded so good I wish I could have tried one of each item.  Finally Mr. T and I decided to split two of the specials.  The first a sliced McCall Ranch Grass Fed Steak Sandwich with crispy shallots, arugula and roasted garlic-herb vinaigrette. They must have soaked the meat in a little au jus before serving because it was incredibly moist and the ciabatta was surprisingly fresh ba...

Man October has been a whirlwind of activity already!  It began with a great weekend of friends and food out in Greenport. We arrived Friday evening and made our first stop at Greenport Brewery for a delicious flight of beers.  Then it was onto dinner at the North Fork Oyster Company. The place was almost empty inside since tourist season is over but perfect for us because oyster season was in full swing. We ordered an array of Montauk, Port Jeff and Virginia Oysters.  These were so crisp and sweet I almost asked for another dozen just for myself.  For the non-oysters lovers Flash Fried Local Calamari with a delicious smoked paprika aioli. And we continued the local trend with a Beet Salad.  Obviously the Greenport beets were incredibly fresh but the toasted pistachio and feta topping really made this dish stand out.  I can't wait to hit up the green-market and recreate this dish at home. ...