NYC Tastes

Ahhhhh Vermont, truly our happy place. We usually spend most of our time in the little town of Waterbury, but lately we've been trying to explore other areas, which led us to Winooski and lunch at Misery Loves Co. This cute little spot sits on the Main Street of town with a lively, hip interior and more casual picnic style tables out front, perfect for soaking up the summer sun. We ordered a couple of Vermont beers then dove into appetizers; Steak Tartare for me and Fresh Cheese with honey for Mr. T. The Steak Tartare arrived diced with pickled mustard seeds and grated smoked Vermont Cheddar on top.  I love a salty potato chip with my tartare and the smoked Cheddar gave the dish a creamy, hearty texture.   Mr. T's fresh cheese appetizer combined honey and herbed matzo with bright red raspberries that burst with summer beauty.   We decided to split The Rough Francis sandwich  for our main; basically an enormous mound of fried chicken smothered...

Since I've revealed our insane pizza eating this summer, I think it's okay to do back to back pizza posts.  So here is another new favorite, Joe & Pat's Pizzeria.   This family owned spot is an institution in Stanton Island, where it's been slinging pies since 1960.  They've had such huge success, they opened up second outpost in the East Village and we've been reaping the benefits ever since. All their pies are thin crust and crispy, with flat charred edges and the perfect ratio of cheese to sauce.  I highly suggest ordering the 1960's Original which showcases that delicious fresh mozzarella and their incredible signature sauce.  Or the Tri-Pie for those undecided folks which combines tomato, vodka and pesto into one whole pie. Just about anyone who struggles with ordering should have an easy time here.  All the pizza's are available as half and half and for those that don't enjoy pizza, there's a large menu of pastas, panini...

We've been eating a lot of pizza this summer here at NYC Tastes, I mean A LOT.  More than just our usual Joe's Pizza order, we've been consuming great new pies all over the city and one of our favorites has been at Sottocasa. This tiny little spot in Harlem specializes in Neapolitan pizza, but not that limp, soupy pie. This pizza is thicker, with a pillow soft exterior, studded with bubbles of char from their wood burning oven, then topped with the freshest of ingredients.  Like the Valdostana with tomato, prosciutto and sage finished with melted mozzarella and fontina cheese. Or the Tartufata, a white pie layered with homemade truffle spread and topped with mushroom, basil and prosciutto di parma.  Mr. T loved the Tartufata while I fell head over heels for the saucy Valdostana. There were so many textures and flavors going on, from the crispy bites of sage to the salty ribbons of prosciutto.  In addition to the wonderful pies Sottocasa had a long...

The Javits Center was transformed into a food empire last week by the Specialty Food Association's Summer Fancy Food Show; a three day extravaganza of 2,600 exhibitors showcasing 200,000 specialty food products.  It's absolutely impossible to try every single item, but I did my very best. MilkBoy was the big winner this year taking home three Sofie awards. Their milk chocolate with crunchy caramel & sea salt won gold followed by roasted almond and white chocolate with blue potato chips.  I'm a big fan of any kind of chocolate laced with salt, so I found myself at this booth every single day. I'm also a huge fan of butter, so the folks over at  Epicurean Butter  pretty much stole my heart with their thick, creamy varietals like Chili Lime, Black Truffle and Roasted Garlic & Herb. Barcoop Bevy  took home a Sofie award in the Top Innovations category for their Cucumber Mojtio cocktail mix. Along with Sauces 'n Love  for their incredib...

Sundays morning brunch at the Studio always begins with some kind of pastry; a thick Chocolate Morning Bun, a flaky Sourdough Croissant or a slice of the delightfully swirled Chocolate Coffee Babka. After something sweet a brunch classic with a Middle Eastern spin, like the NYC bagel & lox with cream cheese reinvented here with a sour labneh and smoked salmon on a sesame crusted Simt bagel. Or the Poached Eggs with a beautiful spring pea humus studded with a rich lamb merguez and a fluffy grilled pita on the side. Sunday mornings are always best starting at The Studio. The Studio 23 Lexington Avenue New York, NY 10010

Les Halles was one of the first restaurants I dined at when I moved to Manhattan. I didn't know anything about Anthony Bourdain at that point.  I honestly didn't know much about NYC food in general. I had come to the city jobless, with very little savings and no real plan for the future except that Mr. T (my then college boyfriend) had landed a decent job here.  We spent most of that first year inside our tiny apartment, getting out occasionally to "brown bag" a beer in the park or hit up Gray's Papaya for their Recession Special.   Not exactly fine dining but the kind of entertainment that fit our budget at the time.  So when Mr. T's sister said she would take us out to a great NYC restaurant for dinner, we were beyond excited. I can still remember walking up Park Avenue and seeing the shiny moonlit writing on the front window that said  Les Halles .  We pushed open the door and entered into what I can only describe as complete chaos....

NYC is filled to the brim with oyster happy hours. If you happen to love Blue Point oysters then your golden, that's the oyster of choice at 90% of these happy hour spots.  But if you don't love Blue Points and crave a different selection of East and West Coast at a reasonable price, then head to Zadie's Oyster Room in the East Village. This bright, cherry little spot on East 12th has a small but excellent list of both wine and beer with $1.50 Chefs Choice Oyster and sparkling beverages half price from 5:00-7:00 each day. I've had everything from Big Rock Petite of Cape Cod to Moonstone of Rhode Island and Fanny Bay of British Columbia.   In addition to the oysters Zadie's has some wonderful small plates perfect for sharing like the Deviled Eggs with bottarga and creamy Smoked Trout Pate served with thick sliced brown bread.  This is the perfect spot for just about any seafood lover be it date night, solo or with a group of friends.  Zadie's neve...