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.
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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.
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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
When you walk into the artsy lair of Vespa in Great Neck, you are warmly greeted by the immaculately suited owner, who fits right in with the vibrantly warm decor. This restaurant is rather an anomaly for a rather staid neighborhood. I think it really brings some much needed zing, to this neck of the woods.
I love the bright red vespa that is parked right outside the restaurant to announce ” We are here!!!” 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
I’m sitting in the cutest coffee shop on the Upper East Side as I write this. Everything in this place spells comfort – from the fabulous aromas of fresh Java to the woodsy, country, rustic look of the Café that makes it feel like home. Continue reading
I was intrigued by this little restaurant that was dedicated to my two favorite foods of all time – chilies and chocolate.
So of-course I had to trek over to Park Slope to check out this charming joint, that has carved out a niche of its own. This tiny restaurant can only seat about 16 people at a time. Its very informal and the server was very friendly. Continue reading
MY RATINGS FOR THIS MEAL
Food: ☆☆☆1/2
Service: ☆☆☆
Ambiance: ☆☆☆
Cost: $$$
I recommend: Sweet Pea Soup, Shrimp Salad, Salmon with Poblano Peppers
At Naya, traditional Lebanese cuisine meets designer chic!
The sleek, modern space consists of a narrow passageway lined with cool glass and white leather cubicles. It opens up to a bright back room which is suitable for group seating.
The food at Naya is outstanding and so well priced. You could just eat their Mezze and be full! Continue reading
This is my new favorite “hang out with your best buddy”, local spot.
Panorama Café is the most unlikely find, in this neck of the woods. It’s an artsy, warm café with a whole lot of soul.
MY RATINGS FOR THIS MEAL
Food: ☆☆☆☆
Service: ☆☆
Cost: $
“The Best Halal. Delicious Chicken and Gyro – We are different!” scream the yellow shirts worn by “The Gyros Guys” on 53rd and 6th avenue.
They have no official name and are known as anything from the Halal Cart to Chicken and Rice to Platter!
There are many Halal Carts around that block but this one in particular is in a class by itself. They are known by their distinctive yellow sweatshirts and plastic bags that read ” The Best Halal……….”
They are only open at night from 7:30 PM to 4:00 AM. It doesn’t matter what time of night you go – they always have a long line of eager night owls waiting to get their fix.
This was the line we found when we got there at 2:30 AM on a Saturday night!!
But here’s the BIG secret. They usually charge $6 for a chicken rice platter but for $10 – you get to cut the line!!!
So, if you dont want to wait and are willing to pull out the big bucks……. all you have to do is go up to the guys directly and tell them that you want the ten dollar deal!!
Needless to say their food is fabulous. There is no better way to wind down the New York night scene.
They have two options on their menu – the chicken and rice platter or the chicken gyro sandwich. Their sauces are to die for!
Apparently the recipe for their white sauce is top secret – that’s where all the flavor is and they have a kick-ass hot sauce. I’m a spice hound but you really have to take it easy on this one – its is SMOKING hot!
So delicious!!
So if you ever get those late night munchies and need a hit of something cheap and fabulous……53rd and 6th is the place to go!
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|
* Restaurant Name |
|---|---|
| The Halal Guys | |
| * Overall | |
| ★★★☆☆ | |
| * Neighborhood / Cuisine | |
| Brooklyn / Middle Eastern other | |
| * Street Address | |
| 6th Ave & W 53rd St, New York, NY 10019 | |
| * Phone | |
| (347) 527-1505 |
Food: ☆☆
Service: ☆☆
Ambiance: ☆ 1/2
Cost: $
I recommend: Wonton with Spicy Sauce, Sesame Pancake Sandwich.
Strolling around Chinatown one day, my interest was piqued by the hustle bustle at a neat looking dumpling house. That’s how I discovered Vanessa’s Dumpling House on Eldridge Street. Vanessa’s works like a well-oiled machine and is run by an all women crew – love that! Continue reading
Food: ☆☆☆ 1/2 Ambiance:☆☆☆ Service:☆☆☆ Price:$$$ I recommend: Tuna & Salmon Tartare, Pretzel Crusted Crab-cake, Grilled River Trout Almondine, Cheesecake Lollipop Tree
MY RATINGS FOR THIS MEAL Food: ☆ ☆ Service: ☆☆☆1/2 Ambiance: ☆ Cost:$$ Overall:☆☆ I recommend: Brick Lane Kebab Rolls, Bombay Aloo
Take a trip to Southeast Asia by eating at Jean-George Vongerichten’s Spice Market. The cuisine here is inspired by regional street food combined with Vongerichten’s distinctive touch. The interiors are resplendent and definitely make you feel like you are in some exotic locale of Asia. There are decorative pagodas and arches that adorn the enormous space and a grand staircase that leads to the hopping bar area downstairs. All of this makes for a really great spot to hang out at where one is stylishly served by waiters and scantily clad waitresses, dressed in bright orange hues. Continue reading