Smorgasburg

In honor of my first week at work in Brooklyn, I thought a post about my recent food experience in Brooklyn was only fitting.

From spring through fall, about 100 different food vendors gather at the Williamsburg waterfront every Saturday for a food festival known as Smorgasburg.  After learning of this food extravaganza towards the end of last fall, I decided to save it for a warm spring day.  Turns out, you can take the water ferry there from Murray Hill.

I was told that the location of Smorgusburg was formerly a flee market and filled with food vendors but did not know what else to expect.  Smorgusburg opens at 11am but I would hold off going until 11:30 to give the vendors time to set up (some weren't ready to go at 11am).  Unless you are going to Smorgasburg for Dough, the BEST donuts anywhere in the world (try to prove me wrong readers, really).  If you are there for Dough's donuts, arrive at 11am because Dough's sells out.  I devoured the Dulce de Leche donut before I could even think to take a picture, which was the doughiest, sweetest, most perfect donut I have ever greedily scarfed down. 

The food vendors line up their booths in rows inside of a gated in dirt area.  There are picnic tables towards the back.  Next time I return, however, I will opt for a spot on one of the grassy knolls surrounding the gated in area.  I would recommend bringing a picnic blanket and finding space on the grass along the water.  The views are stunning.

The thing that impressed me the most about Smorgusburg was the diversity of the food options.  Like all food festivals, some staples appeared, like pizza and BBQ.  But there were dozens of vendors offering specialized treats, like soft shelled crab with cornbread and Asian inspired tacos.  I would definitely go back to Smorgusburg to try several vendors I didn't make it to.

What to Eat:  In addition to Dough's donuts, the below vendors are a must....

Sunday Gravy

We tried several items but the one that stole the show for me was the braised meat sandwich at Sunday Gravy.   Sunday Gravy serves the sandwich bread bowl style, cutting out some of the fresh bread in the middle of the thick slice. The chunky tomato sauce on top was filled with tender braised beef (and sausage, which I didn't realize but had somehow managed to eat around). The bread bowl is filling so share it to save room for other vendors.

Smores

As a kid, I made Smores with my best friend almost every Saturday night.  We would put together graham crackers, Hershey's chocolate chips and marshmallow and melt our little sandwiches in the microwave.  And it was tasty.  But no where near as delicious as the Smores we had from Smores.  The home made chocolate graham crackers are the right amount of sugary.  A thick home made marshmallow is placed on the bottom cracker and then the top cracker is smothered in chocolate sauce.  Finally, as shown in the picture below, the marshmallow is torched so it is charred on the top and melty in the middle.

Looking for casual outdoor dining options? Let the food festival season begin,

Your foodie friend

Insider tip: Do not purchase a Gilt voucher (or something similar) for Smorgasburg.  The food vendors are unfamiliar with the process and financially you will end up paying more for less.  Pay as you go.

Cooper's Tavern

A large part of my life takes place near Penn Station, and no, not because I'm a Rangers fanatic like my husband or a commuter (yet, I suppose).  My dance studio is a short walk from Penn Station. 

After a lunch lesson, my good friend introduced me to a no frills but tasty restaurant a few blocks from Penn Station.  Cooper's Tavern is located on 35th and 8th, in the ground floor of a hotel.  The decor is reminiscent of an uninspired hotel restaurant (a far cry from the trendy restaurants popping up all over hotels in NYC).  BUT what Cooper's Tavern lacks in decor, it makes up for in service and food quality.

Our server was attentive throughout our meal.  We arrived at Cooper's Tavern ravenous and our server graciously refilled our bread and water while we made our selections and waited for our food to arrive.

The Cooper's Tavern menu offered dozens of options with a distinctly Italian bent.  This restaurant is a great choice for someone in need of a quick, hearty meal in the Penn Station/Madison Square Garden neighborhood.

What to Eat:

Start with the Calamari Fritti with Tomato Aioli.  I'm a pretty big eater but found the half order portion of the calamari was plenty.  Save the full size order for a larger group.  The octopus was lightly fried and served pipping hot.  I loved that it wasn't greasy, heavily breaded or dried out.  Cooper's Tavern tomato aioli dip was a nice change from the marinara sauce or bland mayonnaise commonly served with calamari.



If you are very hungry, order the Chicken Pesto Mezza Rigatoni.  The serving is huge and the pesto cream sauce is heavy.  There is a generous portion of chicken in the pasta and a large dollop of savory home made Ricotta cheese placed on top.  This dish is not for the lactose challenged.  But Cooper's Tavern Chicken Pesto Mezza Rigatoni was sensational, one of the better pesto dishes I've eaten in NYC.

Hungry and killing time before your train?  The food at Cooper's Tavern will keep you satisfied during your journey,

Your foodie friend

Normas

There is no place like Normas.  Literally.  Normas is not meant for those searching for an egg white wrap for breakfast.  Nor is it for the lox and bagel crowd.  Normas is for the gluttonous brunch crowd, that embraces breakfast that closely resembles dessert.  Here is a link to the menu so you can understand: http://www.parkermeridien.com/PDF/Normas_SSMenu_1207.pdf

Normas is always crowded, even during the week.  On the weekends, I would definitely recommend making a reservation.  The service is always average at best.  And the food usually takes a long time to come out of the kitchen.  But it is more than worth the wait.  If you go with 3 or more people, I would recommend ordering one less dish than diners because all of the dishes are huge.  Normas is best experienced with a small group willing to share and order a variety of dishes.

Normas always starts you off with a shot glass smoothie.  On my recent trip to Normas, I was presented with a strawberry and mango smoothie, yum!

I have been dining at Normas for years so I have had the good fortune to sample many of the dishes.  My best advice to you is skip the lox and bagel and basic egg scramble dishes.  As long as you order something that isn't plain/boring, you will love your dish.  Try something like the Scrambled Eggs Breakfast Quesadilla, which is a fantastic Mexican fiesta for breakfast.

What to Eat:

A must at Normas is the Chocolate Decadence French Toast.  Normas could not have picked a more perfect name for this dish.  The picture here shows it deconstructed because one person at the table didn't eat nuts and another didn't want canned strawberries so the picture doesn't really do this dish justice.  Once I transferred my slice of chocolate french toast to my plate, I drenched the french toast with valhrona chocolate sauce, whipped cream and pistachios, savoring every bite. 

If you want to go the egg route and need something lighter than the delicious Scrambled Eggs Breakfast Quesadilla, try Normas' Egg White Shrimp Frittata (which is a nice balance to the heavy Chocolate Decadence French Toast).  This dish is better suited for someone that can't/doesn't want an over the top, gluttonous brunch but still wants to dine on something kind of fancy and very tasty.  The egg frittata is covered with roasted tomatoes, rock shrimp and spinach and placed on a bed of perfectly cooked and well seasoned fingerling potatoes.

Looking for a brunch spot to impress? Make a reservation at Normas (they are on opentable.com),

Your foodie friend

SD26

I noticed that SD26 had taken advantage of the warm weather by adding outdoor seating, which is fantastic because SD26 is adjacent to Madison Square Park.  Looking to enjoy a meal outside in the gorgeous weather this past week, I headed over to SD26 with my parents in tow.  Sadly, as we approached the restaurant, we were accosted with noise from scaffolding construction.  The once picturesque views from the SD26 tables on the sidewalk would shortly be obstructed by scaffolding.

The hostess, sensing our disappointment, still managed to persuade us to enter.  To the hostess and server's credit, they were lovely and engaging, ensuring that our initial disappointment was long forgotten. 

SD26 features a bar and lounge area in front of the restaurant and a large dining room in the back of the restaurant.  While the bar and lounge area offer an abbreviated menu, if you request the dining room menu, the server will bring it to you and allow you to order any items off of the dining room menu. 

Because of the large menu and multiple dining options, SD26 is a terrific choice for dinner with friends, a date, or family.  I chose SD26 because my parents are wine people and appreciate fun wine experiences. 

SD26 offers patrons wine cards to use to sample various Italian wines.  Customers put the card in a machine and hold their wine glass adjacent to the selected wine bottle.  The wine pours are offered in various sizes.  Customers are charged according to the type of wine sampled/selected and the amount of wine poured.  There are about one dozen red ones and a half a dozen white wines in the wine machine.  SD26 also offers a large wine menu for the main dining area.

I've never had a bad meal at SD26.  While I tend to focus on their pasta dishes, you can't go wrong with any of their appetizers or entrees.Occasionally, I will take food to go and enjoy it on a park bench in Madison Square Park. 

What to Eat:

Start your meal off with the Burrata appetizer.  One of the things I love about SD26 is that the staff will change/add whatever items you prefer as long as SD26 has the ingredients.  We ordered the Burrata appetizer, requesting the prosciutto on the side and the addition of tomatoes.  The creamy burrata is doused with extra virgin olive oil, which is delicious BUT make sure to ask for the balsamic vinegar because it is outrageously good and a necessary finishing touch to this appetizer.

Another thing I love about SD26 is that it offers half sizes for several of its pasta dishes.  SD26's homemade pastas literally melt in your mouth.  When I go to SD26, I usually opt for a meat pasta and a tomato based pasta.  My favorites are the Chittara and Homemade Fettuccine pastas.

The Chittara pasta noodles bring you back to Florence (or take you there for those who haven't been yet).  These square edged spaghetti noodles are served with an incredible simple tomato and basil sauce.  SD26's tomato sauce Chittara is light and refreshing.  And the portion size allows plenty of room for soaking up the remaining sauce with SD26's bread rolls.

Another must at SD26 is the Fettuccine with lamb ragu.  The ragu sauce features coriander, fava beans and mint, which creates a colorful and inventive take on a ragu sauce.  This pasta is a rich and hearty contrast to SD26's Chittara.

With an early dinner in sight we passed on dessert but our server sent us home with a few orange zest infused donuts (yum!).

Looking for another insider tip? The one below is worth a glass of wine (as long as you don't order the Barolo ;)),

Your foodie friend

Insider tip: if you go on the SD26 website, you can sign up for a $15 free coupon to use on SD26's wine card

Fiorini

My parents are foodies too, surprise!  But they only enjoy quiet restaurants that aren't very crowded.  So my next few posts will be about the fabulous meals I had in quiet restaurants around NYC (not an easy feat).  The first night of their NYC stint kicked off with Fiorini.

As soon as we walked into Fiorini, I could tell (hear) that my parents first dining requirement had been satisfied.  At 6:30pm, the restaurant was less than half empty and very quiet.  Even by the end of the night, when the restaurant was 80% full, the volume was still at a low level.

The service, unfortunately, was also at a low level.  We had to ask our server for a wine menu, then our dinner menus, for water, and bread, and a dessert menu, etc...Considering my parents were in from out of town and I wanted to take them somewhere for a fantastic NYC dining experience, Fiorini's was a let down in the service department.  The server never checked in on us during our meal, despite the abundance of appetizers, entrees and wine placed on our table.  At the end of the night, I approached the hostess, informing her that while we enjoyed our meal, our service was abysmal.  Her response was that the servers at Fiorini take a stand offish approach with the patrons but to come back again.  She must be kidding.  Stand offish wasn't our server, our server was on his cell phone at times and entirely uninterested in performing any of his duties as a server.


Putting the disappointing service aside, the food at Fiorini was sensational.  After asking for bread and water, we received freshly cooked, doughy focaccia bread.  Fiorini has the BEST FOCACCIA BREAD in NYC.  Hands down.  I'm not a big fan of peppers but I did not mind the faint trace of peppers in Fiorini's focaccia. 



We enjoyed each dish we ordered at Fiorini's and if it weren't for the lackluster service, I would happily return to try a few items that sounded tasty but didn't make it to our table.


What to Eat:


We started with a chef's menu appetizer, the Lobster Salad.  Fiorini's lobster salad was filled with chunks of lobster and tossed with tomatoes, avocado, peas and something unidentifiable yet still tasty (I forgot to ask what it was, sorry readers).  The lobster salad was prepared with a very light dressing, allowing the fresh ingredients to stand out.  Fiorini's lobster salad was a perfect light appetizer to start off a meal of heavy dishes.





For an entree, you must order the Risotto Al Frutti Di Mare.  My apologies that this picture does not do this dish justice.  The risotto rice was perfectly cooked and the dish included a generous portion of calamari, shrimp, crab meat and scallops.  The sauce struck the ideal balance of savory and featured a hint of sweetness to it.  Because Fiorini's risotto is large, this is a great dish to share with fellow diners.

Another fantastic entree at Fiorini's is the Pan Seared Duck with Vermouth Sauce.  The duck was incredibly tender and cooked just right (medium rare).  The only criticism I have about this entree is that the veggies on the side, potatoes and escarole, were very average and paled in comparison to the flavor and preparation of the duck. 



Insider tip: the duck contains anise or some type of black licorice flavoring.  This was not noted on the menu and should be.



Because my parents were on European time, we had to skip dessert and put them to bed (luckily, I live next to Ralph's ices).

Need a place worthy of giving up your Atkins diet?  Just say yes every time the busboy returns with the focaccia,

Your foodie friend

Club A Steakhouse

I bought a LivingSocial.com deal for Club A Steakhouse because (1) I heard good things about the restaurant and (2) I couldn't remember the last time I went to a steakhouse.  Turns out it was a good deal.  Two apps, two entrees, two sides and two desserts for $70.  After several failed attempts on my part to use the voucher, I finally made it there for a date night with my good friend.  Club A Steakhouse definitely has a romantic vibe but is still enjoyable for dinner with friends or clients.

We were presented with our customized prix fix Living Social menu, which had several options for each category.  I was impressed with the number of options and despite the menu requesting no substitutions, the server allowed us to pick two desserts that sounded more appealing to our chocolate loving palates.



I was further impressed when the bread basket arrived, stocked with a wide range of carb treats.  How can a restaurant that starts my night off with raisin bread be anything short of fantastic?


While perusing the wine list, I found a few whites at extremely reasonable prices but I cannot say the same for the reds.  The reds were priced on the high end, which is unsurprising for a steakhouse.  But here is a HUGE insider tip: corkage is $25 (unlike some high end NYC restaurants that charge anywhere from $35-60 for corkage).  If you are sticking to white, order of the menu but if you are ordering a red, consider bringing your own bottle.

The servers and busboys were well trained and attentive.  I never had to ask for a water refill.  We noticed that there was a live musician in the downstairs dining room but we sat upstairs.  The music, however, played through the speakers upstairs.

Throughout our dinner we were treated to fun surprises.  As compliments from the chef, we received a lobster ravioli, which was a fantastic treat because I had really wanted to try Club A Steakhouse's lobster ravioli.  People had raved about the ravioli but it was not on our prix fix menu.  The home made ravioli was stuffed with lobster and then topped off with more lobster and sweet asparagus.  The ravioli was doused in a light cream sauce.  I savored every bite of this dish.  This would be a great dish to share with another diner as an appetizer if you enjoy pasta and seafood.

Shortly after we finished our wine and entrees, the charming owner Bruno, sent over glasses of champagne on the house for after dinner drinks.  The champagne was a perfect compliment to our chocolate desserts and a great way to wrap up a fantastic meal and experience.

What to Eat:

The steak, obviously!  Sadly, my phone suffered from technical difficulties but a filet of steak from the outside for the most always look the same.  This 10 ounce hunk of beef was tender and juicy.  We ordered the steak medium rare and it arrived at the table the perfect shade of pink.  The server brought out a side of the house steak sauce but we didn't bother using it because the steak was so tasty and didn't need any extra flavor.

For a side, I think the way to go is creamed spinach if you like creamed spinach.  I don't like creamed spinach so I skipped it (but noticed that the tables surrounding ours all ordered it and were scrapping their bowls clean).  We enjoyed the garlic fries which were tasty but nothing inventive or special.  I would also probably try the Yukon Mashed Potatoes when I return to Club A Steakhouse.

I know many people order cheesecake at a NYC steakhouse but at Club A Steakhouse, you must order the Chocolate Mousse.  Even though it has been a week, I am still day dreaming about the slice of chocolate mousse.  The mousse was light in both texture and chocolate composition.  It was a refreshing change from the predominantly dark chocolate mousse offered on dessert menus.  The whipped cream was flavorless (which is typical for whipped cream served at restaurants) so we left the mount of whip cream on the plate.  We happily scrapped every last bit of the mousse, however, off of the plate and into our mouths.

Need to impress a new lady in your life?  Club A Steakhouse will definitely get the job done,

Your foodie friend

Forcella

Despite the fact that I consider myself a foodie, I could happily subsist off of a ten year old's favorite meal, pizza and ice cream (with the major caveat that it would have to be very good pizza and ice cream).

There has been a ton of buzz about the new pizza place Forcella.  So my fellow foodie partner in crime and I decided it was time to check it this restaurant out and cross it off of my list.  The decor at Forcella is the first thing that tips you off that Forcella isn't the average pizza joint.  The dining room is scattered with small chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, while the tables and chairs have a silver sheen.  Some of the walls are painted white, while others feature exposed brick.  Forcella's decor consists of a sheik look that I have never experienced before at a pizza restaurant.

Also novel was the fact that both the hostess and our server were actually Italian, a rare find in NYC these days.  The service was perfect from the moment I walked in.  I was allowed to be seated without my guest.  My request for a table towards the back and away from the door was honored.  And the server was attentive throughout our entire meal.

On a cold spring night, we were happy to escape into Forcella's warm pizza scented dining room and indulge in a few glasses of red wine.  Forcella offers a short wine list featuring only Italian wine.  My original selection was unavailable so I settled on a glass of red from Umbria.  This medium bodied wine was the perfect way to warm up and decompress after a stressful work day (no not for me ;) for my fellow foodie.

I was surprised that Forcella was half empty on a Wednesday night.  Forcella is the perfect restaurant for a week night dinner with friends (whether impromptu or planned).

What to Eat:

Start with the Burrata appetizer.  The burrata is made at Forcella daily and is surrounded by a plate of tomatoes and basil leaves.  The balsamic vinegar drizzled on the plate was incredible and a fantastic condiment for the doughy Italian bread that appeared around the same time as the Burrata.  My only complaint about this appetizer is that the tomatoes were very average.  I know it is not always easy to find top notch produce in NYC but I thought Forcella should have found better quality vine ripe tomatoes (I know I do in the Eataly produce section).   The creamy burrata, fresh basil, and balsamic vinegar, however, made up for the lackluster tomatoes.

You HAVE to order the Montanara pizza.  The owners of Forcella have brought Neapolitan pizza from Italy to NYC, and luckily for its patrons, nothing has been lost in translation.  The pizza dough is flash fried for a few seconds to ensure that the dough retains its light and puffy texture.  Then, the dough is covered in home made tomato sauce, home made mozzarella and basil leaves.  Finally, the pizza is placed in the wood burning oven to finish cooking.  This is by far the best pizza in NYC.  I loved the texture and slightly sweetened flavor of the puffy dough crust.   

For dessert, we ordered the Pizzza ala Nutella.  If I had not recently had Gemma's Nutella Calzone, this would have blown me away.  But this definitely plays second fiddle to Gemma's dessert calzone down the street.   I enjoyed the crunch of the almond slices mixed in with the nutella.  But parts of the bottom of the pizza were charred, which I am not a fan of (some people enjoy light charring so if you are, then you will really enjoy this dessert).  Next time I dine at Forcella, I will try the Angioletti alla Nutella.  The dough strips will still be fried but not placed in the oven so this would avoid any charring issues.

In the mood for pizza but not looking to eat at a dive?  Check out Forcella, my new favorite pizza restaurant,

Your foodie friend

Insider tip:  I would recommend going to Forcella with at least two other people in order to try a few different types of pizza.  Forcella is so easy on the piggy bank, though, that if there are only two diners, you could easily afford to try a few different pizzas.

Dhaba

One of the best things about living in Gramercy is that my apartment is just blocks away from Curry Hill (aka Murray Hill).  While there are dozens of Indian restaurants in Curry Hill, one restaurant, Dhaba, is always overflowing with patrons.  In fact, people wait outside of Dhaba to be seated despite the option to frequent about 30 other Indian restaurants surrounding Dhaba that could seat you immediately.

Indian people use the term "dhaba" to describe street food," but readers, do not be confused, Dhaba serves legit Indian cuisine at a great price.  My husband and I discovered Dhaba shortly after the restaurant opened several years ago. Dhaba stands out from its local competitors for many reasons, one of which is it's hip decor.  Dhaba's design is inspired by all of the beautiful Bollywood colors and Indian spices, unlike most Indian restaurants that largely consist of a dull, outdated decor.

Dhaba is always busy but turns over its tables quickly so you shouldn't have to wait too long for a table.  The restaurant is on opentable.com if you want to plan ahead and score a reservation. 

Dhaba does an impressive Saturday and Sunday buffet brunch from 12-4pm for $12.95.  The brunch always includes staples like Chicken Tikka Masala and Briyani, but also features a type of Tandoori Drumstick that is only available at brunch (as much as I have tried, you cannot order this dish for dinner).  These drumsticks are not on the buffet and are served table side.  If your server does not come by with the drumsticks, make sure to ask for them, they are sensational.

Dhaba is great for delivery as well.  The food always arrives hot.

What to Eat:

At Dhaba, you can't go wrong. Traditional Indian fried appetizers, like pakoras and samosas, are packed with Indian spices and vegetables and are not very greasy.

If you are looking for something lighter (and/or trying Indian food for the first time), order the Chicken Tikka. Dhaba's Chicken Tikka is more moist than the Tandoori Chicken but is not drenched in a heavy, creamy curry sauce.  The chicken has a small kick to it but isn't very spicy.

If you want to go the heavy, creamy curry sauce route, order the Korma entree.  I usually order the Korma with lamb but sometimes (not always), the lamb at Dhaba is a bit tough.  The sweet, creamy Korma sauce works well with shrimp and chicken as well.

All of the Naan bread at Dhaba is buttery and doughy but if you want something with a bit more flavor, go with the Onion Naan.

For sides, if you like okra, try the Kurkuri Bindi, a fried okra cooked in masala sauce. 

Looking for a casual restaurant for dinner with friends?  Head over to Dhaba,
Your foodie friend.

Insider tip:  Dhaba offers an amazing lunch buffet spread with several different meats and vegetables.  Also, Dhaba offers a take out lunch box option (which includes a main course, naan, lentils and rice).  Both of these lunch options cost under $10.  This is definitely worth the afternoon food coma.