Food: ☆☆☆☆ 1/2
Service: ☆☆☆☆
Ambiance: ☆☆☆☆
Cost: $$$
I recommend: Big Eye Tuna Tarts, Spicy Crispy Shrimp, Spicy Tuna Rolls,
Lychee Panna Cotta
Food: ☆☆☆☆ 1/2
Service: ☆☆☆☆
Ambiance: ☆☆☆☆
Cost: $$$
I recommend: Big Eye Tuna Tarts, Spicy Crispy Shrimp, Spicy Tuna Rolls,
Lychee Panna Cotta
Dévi is the home of artful forms of Pan-Indian cuisine created by two Indian super chefs and co-founders, Suvir Saran and Hemant Mathur (who has since left to open his own restaurant – Tulsi).
Over the years, Devi has managed to create quite a buzz as being one of the “it” Indian restaurants in New York City. Its one of those hot Indian food spots one goes to where you get (and pay for) more than an “Indian buffet’ experience.
The chefs are certainly masters of their craft but the food to me was temperamental. Some dishes were stunners like the Tandoori Prawns with crispy okra salad, the Tandoor Grilled Halibut and the Corn Chaat. Continue reading
Known for the best chocolate chip cookie in town, this cute little Lower East Side coffee haven is definitely worth stopping off at. The cookies are good – but not the best I’ve had. Their stuff is very fresh as all the baking is done on the premises.
Every cup of coffee is brewed fresh and it smells like heaven in here. The founder of The Roasting Plant has developed a unique system to deliver the freshest cup of coffee to every customer.
Here is an excerpt from their website which explains how it works:
“To accomplish this unique innovation, founder Mike Caswell spent six years testing and developing Roasting Plant Javabotô, a patented automation system that ensures maximum freshness and peak flavor. While roasting each type of bean, the system monitors crucial factors such as airflow, temperature, and humidity. Perfectly roasted beans then travel through vacuum tubes, untouched by human hands, until they’re ground and brewed to your specific order.”
Though the space is tiny, they are well equipped with little plug points for customers to sit with their laptops and a cup of coffee to work or play all day! Stop by for sure…if you are ever in the neighborhood!
Chef and owner of Mickey’s Place, Michio “Mickey” Moroi has been serving up great sushi for well over two decades now. Housed in a tiny spot, opposite the LIRR in Bayside, Queens, Mickey’s Place never fails to satisfy a craving for sushi.
It definitely beats all its competitors in and around Queens by serving really solid, good, Japanese food. Continue reading
Food: ☆☆☆☆
Service: ☆☆☆☆ ½
Ambiance: ☆☆☆
Cost: $$$
I recommend: Foie Gras, Fried Chicken, and Bread Pudding
The brothers Bromberg have created quite an empire with their brand of restaurants in New York City. It all began with Blue Ribbon in 1992.
Le Cordon Bleu trained, the brothers found early inspiration from their father and grandmother who loved food and travel. Continue reading
Food: ☆☆☆ ½
Service: ☆☆☆
Ambiance: ☆☆☆
Cost: $$
I recommend: Warm Chocolate Bread Pudding with Bacon Custard Sauce
What happens when three ex-Le Cirque pastry chefs put their talents together?
Three words:Dessert Truck Works.
Continue reading
Food: ☆☆☆☆
Service: ☆☆☆
Ambiance: ☆
Cost: $
I recommend: Trini Tamarind, Pineapple Jerk, Ginger Buff, Spinach Bites, and Mango Salad
Ever wondered what happens when you truly pursue your passion and believe in your dreams. Meet Colette Burnett, the owner of the wildly popular Super Wings, to find out.
Continue reading
The Chocolate Room is the quintessential playground for a grown up chocoholic!
The minute you step into this chocolate boutique and dessert cafe, you start melting into a sensual state of comatose comfort that only chocolate can bring on. Continue reading
BaoHaus, is where owner Eddie Huang merges the age old Taiwanese street snack Gua Baowith the all natural, environmentally conscious spirit of today. Continue reading
MY RATINGS FOR THIS MEAL
Food: ☆☆☆
Service: ☆☆☆
Cost: $
I recommend: Falafel
And the winner of this years Vendy Awards is……….
Farez “Freddy” Zeideia’s – the King of Falafel and Shawarma.
I really do agree with the king of falafel part. Freddy fries up an unbeatable, oblong shaped falafel, which is absolutely delicious. Its crisp on the outside and the filling is perfectly spiced.
The best part is that you get to try a free falafel while you wait for your order to be cooked up.
Freddy’s halal cart serves up quite a variety of shawarma, falafel and chicken rice combinations.
I really liked the basmati rice that comes with their rice platters. It is very nicely flavored and the pickled turnips that they add to their salad really adds great bite.
All the people working at the King of Falafel and Shawarma cart are super friendly and even though it is a food cart, it has a nice homey, community feel to it.
So if you are in and around Astoria, do make sure that you go and pay homage to the king!
Here is some of what we ate:
As a foodie, I find the Lower East Side so charming. Quaint little food shops and restaurants are popping up all over the place and I for one just love to explore it all.
One of my most interesting recent finds was the Hester Street Fair located at Hester and Essex Street.
The Hester Street Fair is a brand new street fair, which is modeled on the Brooklyn Flea. At this hip little market one can find everything from macarons to men’s shirts!
Aren’t Jamaicans the coolest people?
Just by walking into this funky restaurant – I feel like the stress of everyday life drops down a few notches. Step in and within minutes, you are sipping on some exotic cocktail and lilting to a rocking reggae beat. Ya mon!
Got a craving for soup dumplings?
Let me offer you a fabulous alternative to Joe’s Shanghai… Continue reading
Stall # 36 marks the spot for Xi’an Famous Foods which is housed in the basement of the Golden Mall in Queens. Here’s where you will find some really incredible hand pulled noodles. It’s best known for its Liang Pi “cold skin” noodles, Savory Cumin Lamb Burger and Lamb Face Salad. Continue reading
Philippe Massoud has a story to tell at Ilili (which means tell me). Ilili is a high end, contemporary Lebanese restaurant, located in the Flatiron district.
Massoud’s culinary tales are woven into the nouveau Lebanese cuisine he’s created that draws on his beginnings in hospitality in Beirut and experiences that followed suit in the United States. Continue reading
MY RATINGS FOR THIS MEAL Food: ☆☆☆☆ Service: ☆☆☆ Ambiance: ☆☆☆ Cost: $$ I recommend: Country Ham and Foie Gras Terrine, Duck Meatloaf, Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
A long time ago……so the story goes…… during low tide, farmers from Brooklyn could walk their cows across a mile long tidal strait from Brooklyn to Governors Island. It is said that the water currents in this channel were so strong, that it would churn milk into butter – hence the name “Buttermilk Channel.” Continue reading
While slurping is considered bad table manners in the West, it’s quite the opposite in Japan. To express appreciation for a delicious bowl of noodles, slurping is perfectly acceptable, in fact complimentary to the hosts. Continue reading