Giorgio's of Gramercy

Giorgio's of Gramercy holds a special place in my heart. It was the restaurant my (now) husband took me to on our third date. And a few years later, my husband surprised me at Giorgio's of Gramercy with an incredible birthday present, a sherling winter coat. Mitch schemed with the maitre de to have the coat check bring out the beautiful present when I turned in my coat check ticket. I thought it was a mistake and told the coat check person the coat was lovely but it wasn't mine. That's when Mitch chimed in that it is was mine, happy birthday! On chilly days like today, as I put on my coat, I thought of Giorgio's of Gramercy and felt like it deserved a review.

This neighborhood restaurant is perfect for an icy winter date night or dinner with friends. Giorgio's of Gramercy feels cozy, the walls are painted with warm red tones and the lighting is dimmed. The maitre de makes an effort to remember regulars, a rare treat in NYC.

Giorgio's of Gramercy offers an affordable wine list, with many wines in the $40-50 price range. The wine list features a broad range of types of wine from all over the world. Make sure to try the Lambrusco, a light, festive sparkling red wine from Italy.

I usually stick to the pastas at Giorgio's of Gramercy. Giorgio's of Gramercy offers half portions for many of its pastas, so you can order a pasta primi (appetizer) and a pasta secondi (entree), and pretend you are in Roma! But no matter how full you are from the delicious pasta(s), you must save room for one of the best desserts in NYC.

What to eat:

My two favorite pastas are the Maine Lobster Linguini and the Penne Veal Bolognese. These pastas are very different because the pomodoro sauce served with the linguine is light while the bolognese sauce served with the penne is hearty. The shrimp and lobster are generously mixed into the bowl of linguini and the pomodoro sauce strikes a happy balance between sweet and tangy. 

The veal bolognese is rich and creamy, which makes it more suitable for a half portion.

For dessert, you should order at least one Smores Bread Pudding for the table.  This dessert is so good that I hate to share it. The moist chocolately bread pudding is topped with marshmallow and graham cracker, drizzled with caramel dressing, and sprinkled with crunchy mini chocolate balls. A scoop of vanilla gelato shares the plate and melts perfectly into the bread pudding (unless you ask for it on the side).

Need a local gem in your neighborhood? Drop me a line,

Your foodie friend

Insider tip: On Sunday nights, bottles of wine are $15 off! Also, request the house made bread (it's much better than the Sullivan Bakery bread).

Lupa

Italian dining week has coincided with the arrival of my sister, Cayla. Cayla spent 6 months in Roma, resulting in our shared love of all things Italian. At the off chance I can take advantage of a late lunch, I try to pick a restaurant that doesn’t take reservations or is difficult to secure a reservation. That is why we ended up at Lupa.

Lupa oozes with Italian charm. An exposed brick wall, staff making home made pasta, and Italian wine, everywhere. With shopping and the World Trade Center Memorial on our agenda, we decided to pass on a long, heavy, liquid lunch. As we made our dining choices, we were greeted with large slices of freshly made focaccia bread.

Lupa was flexible with food restrictions and offered a sensational home made, dairy free tomato sauce (which is not listed on the menu) that can be served over Lupa's home made pasta. Our server was attentive throughout our meal and graciously came to our aid to fillet the fish we ordered.

Lupa would be perfect for a date night but is even better for a late lunch, when the restaurant is quiet and rather empty.

What to eat:

The Garganelli in Oxtail Ragu. The oxtail ragu was different than most ragus because it had only a tiny dash of tomato sauce. The emphasis of this dish was the beautifully executed garganelli noodles and the flavorful oxtail. The sauce had a hint of red pepper, which was a welcoming (but thankfully not over powering) kick.

Also, the Orrata was delicious. The orrata was the market fish of the day. The flaky white fish was lightly marinated in olive oil, thyme and rosemary. When the waiter saw our confused faces, he quickly returned and offered to fillet the fish for us. We enjoyed the light fish and quietly rejoiced that we did not have to work through the bones.

Need a warm pasta to fight off this cold spell? Check out my posting later this week for one of my favorite neighborhood spots,

Your foodie friend

Insider tip: Ok, so this doesn’t have to do with Lupa but if you go to Lupa, skip dessert at the restaurant if it’s not too late at night and walk a few blocks east to Georgetown Cupcakes, which just opened in SoHo.  BEST CUPCAKES EVER.

Zampa

Gentlemen, this one's for you.

Zampa is a small, neighborhood restaurant on the north east end of the West Village (literally a block away from several subway lines).  So for the lazy gentlemen, this place is easily accessible.

Perhaps more appealing, however is the fact that Zampa is over flowing with women.  On a Thursday night, there was not a single gentlemen seated at or standing near the bar (some of the diners seated at the tables were couples, but not many).  So for the eligible NYC bachelor, you might want to start your Thursday night with drinks and eats at Zampa (the bartender informed me that the bar is packed with women most nights).

Ok, back to me.  This dining experience confirmed for me that this blog is just as much for you, the readers, as it is for me.  I forgot that I had (1) previously eaten at Zampa and (2) enjoyed my prior experience at Zampa, until I walked up to the restaurant.  Now that I blog most of my dining experiences, I won't forget where I've been.

The wait for a table was over an hour so we opted for dinner at the bar.  The bar turned out to be our boon because the bartender was incredibly friendly and encouraged us to sample several different wines.  The bartender recommended a wine we had never heard of and would have never picked for ourselves.  After trying the wines we thought we might like, we settled on his recommendation.

Zampa is supposedly known for its lasagna, which was solid but nothing extraordinary.  Instead, I would focus on Zampa's specials. 
What to eat:

Start with the Burrata appetizer. The creamy, gooey burrata is perfect for smearing over Zampa's fresh bread.  The cherry tomatoes surrounding the burrata go through a special process first invented in a town in Italy (I was too many glasses of wine in to recall the town's name) and then infused with olive oil.






For your entree definitely order the Short Ribs (this picture does not do this savory dish justice).  Zampa's short ribs were incredibly lean yet tender and flavorful. Make sure to ask the busboy to fill your bread basket, you will want more bread to soak up the hearty sauce left on the short rib dish.  The short ribs were accompanied by a buttery potato mass which may not sound appetizing, but it was.

For dessert, go with the Pot de Creme (sorry, no picture, it just looks wrong from the angle I took it at).  This Pot de Creme is made with very dark chocolate so if you are a dark chocolate hater, this dessert is not for you.  I won't eat dark chocolate candy bars but I enjoy dark chocolate in cooked desserts like mousse, pudding, etc...This rich dark chocolate pudding was topped with a generous helping of lightly sweetened whipped cream (what purpose does unsweetened whip cream serve readers? I just don't get it).

Solid food, fun ambiance, great service...for me, that makes a fantastic Thursday night dinner.

Ready for Italian dining week in NYC readers? Hope you like pasta,

Your foodie friend

Insider tip: If you are offered seats at the bar, take them, it is actually a bit quieter than the tables.  The full dining menu is available at the bar.

Mas (farm house)

I know it sounds a bit strange for a food writer to be a picky eater but just because you love food doesn't mean you have to love all of it.  Growing up, my mother's rule was that you had to find at least one thing on a menu at any restaurant.  As long as we aren't talking vegan food, I can live by that rule.  But pre fix meals are another story.  The fish may be restricted to one of the few I don't prefer, or maybe the appetizer will be foi gras (the only duck byproduct I don't like).

Our friends picked Mas (farm house) for dinner and in typical fashion, I went straight to the menu online.  I was a bit disappointed because I didn't like any of the apps.  I figured I would solve that problem with a late lunch.  So upon arrival, I was blown away with Mas' dining options.  While Mas has a small a la carte menu, it also offers a pre fix menu and tasting menu.  But here's why Mas is one of my top NYC restaurants: Mas lets you pick any dish on either menu and create your own pre fix or tasting menu.  So I could make the scallop entree my app and still have the duck as my entree.  And if one diner wants the pre fix menu (4 courses), but the other diner wants the tasting menu (6 courses), Mas is happy to accommodate.

Our lovely server gets extra props for accommodating my aversion to most vegetables, allowing me to select only the vegetables I enjoy to accompany my dishes.

The boys ordered the tasting menu and the ladies ordered the pre fix menu so we tried most of the menu.  While the presentation was not unique, it was colorful and well executed.  More importantly though, everything we ordered, let me repeat, every single dish, was DELICIOUS. 

Also, the service was impeccable.  Despite our varied ordering, everything came out of the kitchen seamlessly.  We were allowed to leisurely dine and never felt rushed.  This restaurant would be perfect for a romantic date or entertaining parents from out of town.

What to eat:

The Roasted Sea Scallops in a Mussel Saffron Cream.  My appetizer course included one and a half jumbo scallops, the perfect appetizer size.  The butter scallops were fresh and top quality, which for scallops makes a world of a difference.  I enjoyed the lightness of the mussel saffron cream.  The scallops included mussels and a few funny looking but tasty cubes of celery root hash.










The Duck.  These medium rare slices of heaven were tender and tasty.  There's no way not to love this dish.  If you've never tried duck before, this would be a good place to start.  The duck was accompanied by sweet vidala onions, a savory parsnip puree and a few of my favorite veggies.

The Hazelnut- Milk Chocolate Mousse.  As readers know, I don't love hazelnut.  But a subtle hint is always a nice surprise.  The creamy mousse was heavy on the milk chocolate, and light on the hazelnut, so overall, incredibly satisfying.  And the salted caramel ice cream on the side was a welcomed salty/sweet improvement over most restaurants vanilla ice cream.

Need to take a date (or her parents) somewhere to impress?  I found your spot,


Your foodie friend

Insider tip: it may be hard to score a reservation at this popular restaurant on a Saturday night so try the bar area for a last minute date night.  There are a few small tables and bar counter top to dine in.  The entire restaurant, including the bar area, is lovely.

La Promenade des Anglais

I LOVE French food.  I love how each dish is more decadent and savory then the next.  So Sunday night, we "dragged" our foodie friends to the new Chelsea hot spot, La Promenade des Anglais.

La Promenade is not your parents local French bistro (although on a crowded night, a hearing aide may be in order).  The few red hues used in the decor at La Promenade are barely noticeable because of the refreshing light blue highlights used throughout the restaurant.  While the decor may be closer to new age French, the music choice is for the old soul, featuring hits by Frank Sinatra. 

The wine list was impressive, with solid French and American bottles at reasonable (for NYC) prices.   I would recommend starting your night by opening a bottle of wine at the glamorous, white marble bar while you wait for your table.

My only complaint about this restaurant is that the portions are small (even for the average person, we all know I eat like a horse), which makes you feel that La Promenade is a bit over priced.  La Promenade charged us for extra slices of toast to eat with the cheeses we ordered.  When your entrees are $30 and each person at your table ordered an app and an entree, to me, charging for a slice of bread screams (greedy and) short sighted.  Similarly disappointing, the scallop entree only included three average (not jumbo) size scallops.  At $29, there should be one or two more scallops on the plate.

La Promenade is probably better suited for a night of drinks, apps, and desserts (unless you have a sugar daddy and/or corporate tab).

What to eat:

The Whipped Ricotta. You must start with this (lactards, you know who you are, I promise this is worth whatever stomach discomfort that will follow).  Spread the honey drizzled ricotta generously on the warm, lightly toasted and buttered bread.  The burrata was tasty but it did not hold a candle to the sweet and savory ricotta.

For your entree, go with the Duck Breast, which is prepared medium rare (unless otherwise requested).  The duck is placed on a bed of lentils and is surrounded by a medley of winter root vegetables.  The honey glaze is lightly drizzled on the plate, leaving a hint of sweetness without overpowering the tender duck.

The only good thing about La Promenade's small portions is that you will definitely have room for dessert.  If you are only getting one dessert, go with the Chestnut Glazed Doughnuts.  The chestnut doughnuts were glazed with an autumn spiced pumpkin sauce, making them sweet and gooey, but not mushy.

If you have room for a second dessert and need something chocolatey, order the Warm Chocolate Fondant, which is accompanied by a delectable scoop of stracciatella gelato.  The fondant was cooked perfectly, ensuring that the firm exterior gave way to the rich liquidy interior.

Need a bit of glamor and fantastic French food?  Check out La Promenade,

Your foodie friend

Insider tip: look for this restaurant on Savored.com ($10 gets you 30% off your entire bill).  While the coupon will probably only exist for early dining times, the perk of coming in early is that you can still hear your friends speaking to you across the table.

The Beagle

I noticed that, too frequently, I pick a BlackboardEats coupon for a restaurant that I want to try, but it expires before I get around to using it.  So recently I went through my BlackboardEats reminder email and made a few reservations to use the vouchers.  The first spot to cross off of my BlackboardEats reminder email, the Beagle.

The restaurant, located in Alphabet City, is somewhat typical for the neighborhood in ambiance, size and décor: hipster, small, and crowded.  The menu, however, is anything but typical.  Most of the dishes on the menu consist of a bizarre combination of ingredients, which sometimes works (like the burrata and braised celery pairing board) and sometimes doesn’t (like the striped bass with sauerkraut).

The service all-star at the Beagle was our busboy.  He was generous with his smiles and water pouring.  Our server, while cheery, dropped the ball on a few of the items (jalapenos appeared in my frito pie even though I requested their absence and one of the steaks did not match the shade of red requested).

I don’t know how I feel about this restaurant, which isn’t surprising because of the confusing combination of ingredients.  The best way I can some up the Beagle is that the menu (cocktail list included) was definitely different, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.

What to eat:

For the table, we ordered the Burrata Pairing Board, which came with braised celery and a shot of gin.  Ask for bread if you order this dish.  The creamy burrata was heavenly and the tender seasoned celery was a surprisingly fantastic compliment.  I would recommend layering the burrata and celery on a piece of bread so that your taste buds can enjoy the different textures and flavors at the same time.

I’m of the belief that you should probably order (almost) anything on a menu with the word "pie" in it.  So I started the night with the Frito Pie, a bowl filled with meat chili, shredded cheese and Frito chips.  While the shredded cheese needed to be more melted, this salty treat (which could be a close cousin to nachos) was still a very tasty appetizer.

For my entree, I ordered the Striped Bass, which came with rock shrimp (delicious!) and saucy sauerkraut (disgusting!).  The sauce smothering the sauerkraut was all wrong.  Luckily, the seafood on the plate, which was fresh and flavorful, was not contaminated by the unappetizing sauce.  The bass was light and perfectly cooked.  When I was ordering this dish, I was debating whether to ask for a substitute for the sauerkraut.  Sadly, I failed to execute my mantra (no, not dessert makes everything better): always trust your gut.  I paid the price readers, but you don’t have to.  If you order this, I would recommend speaking up and asking if they could substitute the saucy sauerkraut for anything else (like the frito pie, just kidding, kind of).  If they say they will not give you something else, either order it and accept the consequences or order a different entree.

Our table also ordered the Flat Iron Steak.  While the meat was tender, the sauce was similarly off (not as bad as the sauerkraut sauce but still a miss).  The mustard kale sauce just didn’t go well with the steak.  I overheard our dining neighbors discussing their lamb and pork entrees.  I would probably go that route for entrees if I returned to the Beagle.

Sticking to the pie theme of the night, we ordered the pistachio and chocolate pie for dessert.  I liked the combination of gooey chocolate with the crunchy pistachios.  And the creamy cardamom infused yogurt on the side was a nice contrast to the dark, rich chocolate.

The surprise hit dessert of the night was the Burnt Orange Cream Tart (good call Chrystal!).  The orange flavor was present without being overwhelming and the creamy texture was surprisingly light.  The only thing about this tasty treat that didn’t work was the crust, which was too hard. 

In the mood for a bizarre combination of ingredients? I found your spot,

Your foodie friend

Spina

Jesse, this one’s for you ;)

Spina is the kind of restaurant that makes me excited to have a food blog. I enjoyed everything about this restaurant. Ever since I left the restaurant, I’ve been dying to sit at my computer and write this review, so here we go.

One of my good friends spent about ten years living in Italy so we usually end up at an authentic Italian restaurant for dinner. Since she was up for a trek, we decided to check out Spina, a small, cozy restaurant in Alphabet City. Upon entering, I was immediately mesmerized by the staff at the “pasta bar” preparing and cutting homemade pasta (how do they stay so clean? My apartment (and I) look like an episode of I Love Lucy after pasta making).

We went early in the week and most of the tables were empty, which was nice because the tables are very close together. I can imagine on a busy night that it could get loud and that you may (1)spend time eavesdropping on your neighbors, (2) your neighbors will spend time eavesdropping on you, and/or(3) make new friends.

Spina’s extensive wine menu provides thorough details about each bottle of wine offered. Because I did not recognize any of the wines listed, I asked to sample the Educated Guess, a Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. This full bodied wine perfectly complimented the focaccia bread delivered to our table (now if only I can convince my husband to take me off of my wine shopping moratorium...). The freshly baked focaccia was accompanied with a savory ricotta truffle spread and tangy balsamic sundried tomato spread.

There were so many delectable options on the menu, it took us awhile to narrow down what we ultimately ordered. Our server Matthew was attentive, allowing us time to leisurely order and dine, and occasionally checking in with us to see if we needed anything. We enjoyed every dish we ordered and I plan on returning when Spina opens its outdoor seating next month.


What to eat:

Start with the Polpettine di Carne antipasta, which is best described in inelegant English as a meatball sampler. The appetizer consists of two small lamb meatballs in a tomato sauce, two small turkey meatballs in a zucchini parmigiano habanera sauce, and two small pork meatballs in a balsamic reduction. We enjoyed all three varieties of meatballs, but the turkey meatballs in the zucchini parmigiano habanera sauce was the winner. The creamy habanera sauce gave the turkey meatballs a nice little kick.

For a primi, definitely order the Farfale Nere (I requested the tagliolini noodles instead and the server obliged). The tagliolini noodles were made with squid ink and durum flour so the noodles were black on one side and white on the other side, creating a colorful dish when combined with the crab meat, scallions and tomatoes. Spina did not skimp on the crab meat and the dish felt was incredibly satisfying.

For a secondi (we are at an Italian restaurant ;)), we ordered the fish of the day. The Branzino was large and a terrific option if you want to share dishes. The tender fish was marinated in olive oil, tomatoes, thyme and rosemary. This was hands down the best branzino I have ever had.

For dessert I ordered the “Chocolate Soufflé”. The Chocolate Soufflé turned out to be a warm molten chocolate cake, which was initially disappointing because I had been hankering for a chocolate soufflé ever since I passed on Marcony’s. Thankfully, the rich, perfectly cooked, gooey dark chocolate molten cake was delicious, dissolving any prior disappointment. A scoop of vanilla bean ice cream was placed in a dish next to the cake, thoughtfully preventing the ice cream from melting prematurely.

Insider tip: Spina is frequently listed on savored.com so for $10, you will get 30% off your entire bill (including booze!).

Ready to start eating outside again? Happy March,


Your foodie friend