NYC Tastes

I was so sad last week to hear that one of my favorite bakeries in the city was closing up their East Village shop. Blackhound has been my go to bakery for years! They have so many incredible cake flavors like the Pear Almond, Raspberry Poppyseed and the always delicious Chocolate Giandjua. The best part about these cakes besides their incredible flavors was always the size. I could stop in and pick up a mini cake just perfect for Mr. T and I to share. My last visit on Thursday I had a hard time deciding what to choose, but in the end it was their insanely sweet Chocolate Mousse Cake that won my heart. I've always loved that Polka Dot crust encasing all the fudgy chocolate cake inside. The best part about my last visit however was learning that they will still sell their cakes online out of their bakery in Greenpoint. So although they are no longer in the East Village I can still pick up a delicious cake or two when I g...

I had a moment last week where I decided I would just about sell my soul in order to eat the incredible dish I was enjoying again.  A dish that was so rich and so creamy I honestly think I had an out of body experience.  It all began at SD26, a restaurant located just two blocks from my apartment and the last of my Winter Restaurant Week meals. Let's start with the wine list which comes to your table via a neat little iPad. It was fun reading about each wine without having to discuss preferences with a sommelier and certainly less bulky than a mammoth wine book.   Bread service was a big crusty white roll and a fluffy slice of foccacia.  Both were good but nothing earth shattering.   Then lunch took a turn...from far away I could smell the incredible aroma of white truffles wafting through the air.  I turned around and saw my server at the base of the table setting down one of the most gorgeous dishes I've ever seen in my life- the Uovo....

We loved this little den of Japanese delights so much we decided to make a return trip and try some of the a la carte items we couldn't fit in during the omakase. We began with a review of their extensive sake menu and the Kikusui Perfect Snow was a great choice.  The crisp, slightly sweet flavor was perfect for pairing with our first dish the Tasting of Uni. Maine, Santa  Barbera  and Hokkaido...a ll three were silky and rich but I think we enjoyed the firm texture of the one from Maine the best.   We went pretty standard next with a tasty Tuna Scallion Roll and a few pieces of unagi.... ...before moving onto the "live" portion of the meal with an enormous live Sea Scallop. This was my first experience with a live scallop and I couldn't get over the incredible sweet, creamy flavor.  It was so soft it was almost melting onto the leaf after being popped out of the shell.  This may have been the best scallop I've ever tasted. The final portio...

I've been obsessing about the apple butter at Maysville since my last visit so I returned for another brunch, this time with Mr. T along for the ride.  He enjoyed the mini muffin and creamy apple starter, but didn't quite reach my level of excitement (he usually doesn't).  He was much more into his entree the Crispy Grits with smoked ham, caramelized onions, brussels sprout and sauce mornay. When the menu listed the grits as "crispy" I wasn't expecting what actually arrived.  They came in a big square, sliced like a thick polenta cake with the sprouts and ham layered on top.  This was a bit too heavy for me but Mr. T loved the smoky flavors going on.   As you can see my Kale Salad wasn't exactly a "lighter" choice. It was chock full of crispy fried chicken, squash, pecans, cheddar and a creamy maple buttermilk dressing.  It's basically everything a salad really should be in my opinion. The dark meat chicken had an excellent ...

I was searching for a quick lunch in Chelsea Market and the colorful rolls from Beyond Sushi just seemed to jump out at me from behind the counter.   These aren't your average sushi rolls.  They're 100% vegan filled only with fruits and veggies and each one comes with it's own little plastic bottle of sauce for dipping.  There's all kinds of crazy combinations like the Crunch N' Munch with alpha, cucumber, kiwi, baked tofu and miso sauce; the Green Machine with six grain rice, asparagus, basil marinated veggies and jalapeno wasabi sauce or my absolute favorite the Spicy Mang... ...black rice, avocado, mango, cucumber and spicy veggie with a creamy toasted cayenne sauce.  It's got a great texture and is super satisfying.  I ended up eating here three days in a row I loved it so much! Beyond Sushi

Let me start this review by saying I love Wylie Dufresne.  The meals I've had at WD-50 were some of the most creative, thoughtful and delicious dinners I've ever had the pleasure of enjoying.  So when his newest restaurant Alder opened in the East Village I was incredibly excited to see what crazy concoctions he'd be rolling out of the kitchen.  I grabbed my friend Christine and Mr. T and off we went.  Unfortunately my experience at brunch is what I can only describe as a complete and utter failure.  Let's begin with the Pizza Bagels. Have you ever had frozen Bagel Bites before?  Then you already know exactly what this dish tastes like...spongy dough, grainy cheese and a strange flavor I can only describe as wet cardboard. The Pigs in a Blanket followed the same suit.  The outer casing was cold and flavorless; the dots of sweet chili sauce comical since they were neither sweet nor spicy.  Honestly this entire dish seemed to be more f...

It's always nice to get out of the city for an afternoon and most often I visit the quaint, little town of Tarrytown for a gorgeous view of the Hudson River and a delicious meal.  This time I met my friend Carrie and we stopped into Sweetgrass Grill where I had an absolutely incredible salad. Big fluffy shards of kale with juicy orange segments, pickled onions, warm toasted almonds and covered in a creamy cashew truffle dressing.  This was such an awesome salad- it was really hearty, super healthy and just delicious.  I wanted to ask for some of that cashew nut dressing to go!   Carrie's Open-Faced Tempeh Reuban came covered in Daiya Cheddar, House-made Kraut and a Vegan Russian Dressing that was also incredible.  I really can't remember a time when we both enjoyed food like this so much.  Granted we usually meet up for a huge plate of ribs at Dinosaur BBQ but I still think it was the fact that everything tasted so fresh. ...