Cambodia is a country with such rich heritage, amazing beauty and the most delicious food.
One can get lost amongst the grandeur of the vast temple complexes of Angkor Wat and of Angkor Thom and so much more that dots this landscape.
(I was invited as a guest to this establishment. All opinions expresses in this review are my own.)
I was recently invited to review Mozzarella & Vino, a brand new spot opened by veteran restaurateurs Gianfranco & Paula Sorrentino of Il Gattopardo and Leopard at des Artistes fame.
Located in the old Il Gattopardo space, right opposite the MOMA, Mozzarella & Vino is housed in a chic, inviting space that is filled with warmth and authenticity.
Mozzarella & Vino distinguishes itself from it sibling restaurants by offering a seasonally inspired small plate menu with an emphasis on Mozzarella di Bufala Campania DOP, Italian cheeses and affettati.
This affordable enoteca style restaurant also offers a full bar and an extensive wines list. This is one of the first spots in New York City to use an Enomatic wine serving system, which allows them to store unique high-end wines.
The kitchen is supervised by Chef Vito Gnazzo of Il Gattopardo and The Leopard and helmed by Antonio Savino. The menu at Mozzarella & Vino is quite simple but the flavors are truly authentic and the quality of food really shines. The best of ingredients are flown in twice a week from small artisanal farms in Italy. One can tell that in this kitchen there are no short cuts – everything is made fresh from scratch and is all really delicious.
Mozzarella & Vino is open everyday from 11:00 AM to 10 PM. The genuine affection and care taken of anyone who walks through the doors of Mozzarella & Vino is palpable. Its almost like you are welcomed home when you set foot in here and are pampered the whole way through with great food and wine.
Here is some of what we ate:
|
|
* Restaurant Name |
|---|---|
| Mozzarella & Vino | |
| * Overall | |
| ★★★☆☆ | |
| * Neighborhood / Cuisine | |
| Midtown West / Italian | |
| * Street Address | |
| 33 West 54th Street (b/t Avenue Of The Americas & 5th Ave in Midtown West), New York, NY 10019 | |
| * Phone | |
| (646) 692-8849 |
Food: ☆☆☆☆
Service: ☆☆ ½
Ambiance: ☆☆
Cost: $$
Must try: Poutine, Mac and Cheese Pancake
Food: ☆☆☆ ¾
Service: ☆☆☆
Ambiance: ☆☆☆☆
Cost: $$$
Must try: Grilled Maitake Mushrooms, Raw Shaved Fluke, Guacamole with Grapefruit Salsa
ABC Cocina is Jean-Georges Vongerichten and executive chef Dan Kluger’s endeavor at inventive, Latin inspired, tapas style fare.
Housed within the stunning ABC Carpet & Home Store, this hot spot is fashioned in abcmkt’s eclectic style – an aesthetic I love (of course everything is available for purchase on the shop floor).
The menu consists of seven sections with choices that range from a “Raw Bar” to “Light and Bright” to “Wood Burning Grill” and more.
The cuisine is based on flavors from Latin America and Spain and is for most part executed rather well. Dishes that blew me away were the “Raw Shaved Fluke with Green Chili Dressing” and the “Grilled Maitake Mushrooms”. Other such as the “Fish Taco” felt lacking in clean flavors and brightness as is was unnecessarily doused with some kind of creamy heavy Russian type dressing. The “Short Rib Tacos” though are a clear winner!
Service was very pleasant but uneven. We were kept waiting for fairly long spells between certain dishes.
I didn’t fall in love with ABC Cocina the way that I did with ABC Kitchen….but the small plate fare piqued my interest enough to make warrant several revisits.
Here is some of what we ate:
|
|
* Restaurant Name |
|---|---|
| ABC Cocina | |
| * Overall | |
| ★★★☆☆ | |
| * Neighborhood / Cuisine | |
| Flatiron / Latin American other / Tapas/Small Plates | |
| * Street Address | |
| 38 East 19th St. (Between 5th Ave. & Park Ave.), New York, NY 10003 | |
| * Phone | |
| (212) 677-2233 |
Food: ☆☆☆☆
Service: ☆☆☆½
Ambiance: ☆☆☆½
Cost: $$$
Must try: Gravy Meatball Sliders , Spring Asparagus Soup, Pork Chop & Butter Beans
Food: ☆☆☆½
Service: ☆☆☆½
Ambiance: ☆☆☆
Cost: $$
Must try: Burgers, Cheese fries, concretes
(I was invited as a guest to this establishment. All opinions in this review are my own.)
Food: ☆☆☆☆ ½
Service: ☆☆☆☆
Ambiance: ☆☆☆½
Cost: $$
Must try: Crab Spring Rolls, Ca Ri Ga, Cha Ca La Vong, Bahn Xeo (actually get one of everything on the menu!)
It’s the most wonderful time of the year and the Holiday Markets of New York City are here and in good cheer.
These markets set in outdoor and indoor spaces transform the landscape into a winter wonderful gifts and goodies.
I love trolling through interesting booths of beautiful artisan wares that are truly delightful and supporting small local artists.
I was sent a complimentary box of Becky’s Bites recently and thought what a great holiday gift idea this would make.
Nara is one of the few remaining full-fledged Thai restaurants at the massive Central World Mall in Bangkok.
Pad Thai is probably one of the best known dishes in Thai cuisine worldwide. So ofcourse the burning question would be – Where does one get the best Pad Thai in Bangkok?
If there is one thing I think of almost every day since I left Bangkok – it is the meal I had at Jay Fai’s!
Din Tai Fung is an extremely popular dim sum house at the Central World Plaza shopping mall. This Taiwanese based dumpling house has other outlets in parts of South East Asia with the one in Hong Kong having earned a Michelin star.
Centara Grand at Central World is really a tacky hotel with a great location. Attached to the mammoth Central World Mall, this hotel is a really subpar spot at a high price point. It has no service, grace or charm that one believes Thailand to have.
The Erawan Tea room sits in all of its elegance overlooking the famous Erawan Shrine right by the Grand Hyatt Hotel.
Thailand might be one of the best food destinations in the world (for me at least)!
Bangkok is a bustling city, teeming with beautiful sights, wonderful people and the most amazing food.
I was recently sent a preview sample of the wonderful upcoming holiday collection from La Maison du Chocolat. Their ‘A Midwinter Night’s Dream’ Collection beautifully combines the comforting warmth of chocolate with the joyful spirit of the holiday season.
With an elegant flourish and an astonishing display of savoir-faire, Nicolas Cloiseau has captured the beauty of chocolate in movement.
