Tag: New York

I never realized how many restaurants are around the theater district in New York. That is where I fond Bond 45, an Italian restaurant.

The place was packed full. It was a good thing that I made a reservation earlier in the day. As soon as I sat down I was brought freshly made bread. It had a buttery taste and there were a few pieces of green olives throughout. It was great to snack on as I looked over the menu.

They had a couple of unique cocktails on the menu. I went for the Bond Cup. This namesake cocktail used pineapple infused vodka, passion fruit, and lime juice. The presentation was beautiful with the accent of a pretty flower and a slice of dried pineapple.

The drink was sweet and had an overall tropical feel. It was good but probably not the best choice to pair with savory Italian dishes I ordered for dinner.

I ordered the vegetable Ribollita soup to start off with. This savory broth was loaded with vegetables like carrots, potatoes, spinach, and white beans. While the flavor was excellent, the carrots and potatoes were a little overcooked. They were pretty soft.

For my dinner I ordered the Chicken Piccata Milanese. The chicken was pounded out to be super thin. It had a thick layer of seasoned breadcrumbs that were extra crispy. They made a lemon-parsley butter sauce that was loaded with braised artichokes and capers.

The sauce was salty. It went well with the chicken, but I think there was a bite too much of the sauce. The chicken was tender and still managed to be moist even though it was really thin.

Bond 45 was a nice place to grab dinner before going to see show. I would go back so that I could try one of their pasta dishes. Their serving sizes are large so make sure to go with an appetite.

Check out their website at www.bond45.com

Enjoy!

T

There are a ton of restaurants in the theater district of New York. Across the street from the lyric theatre (where the Harry Potter play is preforming) I found Haru Sushi.

I walked in and they were really busy but I was fortunate to get a table pretty quickly. I made sure I ordered my cocktail as soon as my waitress came to the table. I was excited to try the Berries and Bubbles. This was Prosecco, Svedka raspberry vodka, and strawberry puree. It was not as sweet as I thought it would be. The strawberry actually made it slightly tart.

Since I was at a Japanese restaurant I made sure to order the miso soup. I always make sure to try this classic comfort food. It was pretty standard, tofu, seaweed, and scallions in a salty broth. I always wish restaurants would put more tofu in the soup. It adds a ton of texture without affecting the taste.

I made sure to order some sushi while I was there too. I went with the simple Spicy Tuna Nigiri. The tuna was extremely fresh; it melted in my mouth as soon as I took a bite. It was not as spicy as I expected it to be. That was a little disappointing, but I simply added more wasabi to it myself.

The Eel Avocado Roll was made perfectly. The eel had great flavor and they put a generous amount of the eel sauce on top. That is my favorite part of an eel role. The avocado added a great creamy texture to the roll.

The Umami Fried Rice came out last and it was really hot. I needed to wait a little while for it to cool off. This fried rice had chopped up pieces of grilled chicken, scrambled egg, and fresh vegetables. All items were cooked in a garlic butter sauce. This rice was not that salty; it was actually a little sweet. The rice was not as full of flavor as I expected it to have. I was a little disappointed with that. However, the chicken was good in the rice.

They had a seasonal dessert on the menu that I made sure to order. It was the Yuzu Meringue Tart. They made homemade Yuzu custard. Yuzu us a Japanese citrus fruit. They put the custard in a homemade sugar cookie tart shell. Then a marshmallow meringue was placed on top and toasted till it had a little brown hue. Finally, they placed the tart on top of pomegranate ginger sauce.

The custard was sweet and creamy. The cookie crust was also sweet. The pomegranate sauce toned down that sweetness by adding in a sour element. It was a great dessert and a good way to end a meal that leaned more salty.

Check out Haru Sushi if you are in the area. They got busy so you may want to make a reservation. Check them out at www.harusushi.com

Enjoy!

T

I’m back in New York. When it comes to food, every time I visit New York I pretend like I have never been there before. This allows me to keep an open mind when it comes to restaurants. I want to always try something new, especially in a city that is always changing.

Neighborhood restaurants are the best to visit. To me they put the most love into their food. That is why I wanted to visit Sangria 46. It is a local Spanish restaurant that I knew would be as authentic as if I was in Spain.

I was greeted as soon as I walked in. It was a really nice feeling. When I sat down they brought me chips and homemade salsa right away. It was great to be able to munch on something as I looked over the menu.

Since I was at a place called sangria naturally I needed to order a sangria. I was thrilled to see that there was a Cava sangria on the menu. This is a true Spanish sangria that was blended with Cava (Spanish version of Champagne) brandy, triple sec, and fresh strawberries and peaches.

I decided not to mess around and just ordered a small pitcher. It was the perfect amount of sweetness. I always enjoy the bubbles that the Cava has. I knew this would go with anything that I ordered to eat.

Rather than getting a full dinner, I settled on ordering a few tapas. I figured that would be enough to fill me up. I started off with the Croquetas de Yucca. Yucca is very similar to potato, very starchy. They mashed it up just like mashed potatoes and mixed in cheese. Then they breaded and deep fried them. They were crunchy on the outside and very creamy on the inside.

The Empanadas Argentina came out next. The flakey pastry was stuffed with meat and then baked up till crispy. I ordered one beef and one chicken. Both had a savory taste. They used a generous amount of filling in these savory turnovers.

The final tapa I ordered was the Vieiras con Tocino. These are broiled scallops wrapped in bacon. The bacon was perfectly crisp and added a crunch and salty taste. This paired wonderfully with the sweet, tender scallops. The scallops also came in a garlic sauce with chucks of fresh garlic and peas. The peas added additional sweetness. The garlic stepped up the flavor to be a little more intense.

I saved enough room for dessert. The Limoncello Cake sounded delicious to me and the perfect end to my wonderful meal. The cake was moist and had a fantastic lemon flavor. The icing on the cake was sweet and creamy, which also had a great lemon taste. The flavor of the cake made it so fresh. It helped cleanse my palate from al the savory dishes I enjoyed.

Sangria 46 was a fantastic dining experience. The staff was extremely friendly and took great care of me. The food tasted great and the sangria was perfect. I would recommend everyone check them out if they visit New York City.

Visit their website at www.sangria46nyc.com

Enjoy!

T

So I found myself  in New York for Thursday night football. I wanted to go somewhere to watch the game and get some great food. My friend, who lives up there, recommended I check out Lansdowne Road.

This Irish pub is located in the Hell’s Kitchen area. There are tons of tv’s all around the place, which was perfect for watching the game.

The place was packed when I got there. I ordered a drink and had to stand for a while waiting for a seat to open up. Luckily after about 15 minutes I was able to grab a seat at the bar. It is a pretty cool bar too. They have a strip of ice running along the bar that you can sit your glass on. It helps to keep it cool. Just be careful so you don’t spill.

I started off ordering the pretzels with beer cheese. There were two homemade, jumbo size pretzels. The dough was soft and sweet.  The salt coating the outside complemented the sweetness of the dough. The beer cheese was really creamy. I was constantly dipping my pretzel. There is something comforting about the combination of dough and cheese.

While I was there I had to try their chicken wings. Apparently they are world famous and it was called out on their menu. It was a mouthful to order the “Scruffy Duffy World Famous Hell’s Kitchen Chicken Wings”.

I ordered the traditional style wings with the combination of the medium sauce and garlic Parmesan sauce. I also made sure to order them well done. I really like it when chicken wings are crispy when they come out.

These wings were cooked to perfection. They were extra crispy and there was an awesome crunch when I took a bite. Plus the chicken itself was juicy. The flavor combination of the sauces was amazing. The garlic Parmesan added a salty taste and the medium added a slight amount of heat.

Lansdowne Road had a great atmosphere. Even if you are not into sports you can still have a fun time. Plus the food was great too! Check them out at www.lansdowneroadnyc.com

Enjoy!

T

 

I was meeting a friend of mine in New York for dinner and she made the recommendation to try Boat Basin Cafe. It is located near Riverside Park on the Upper West Side.

     

It is not an easy place to get to if you are not familiar with the area. It is actually underneath the road on 79th Street.

     

Once I found it I was impressed by its view of the Hudson River looking into New Jersey. An interesting fact about the Marina by the restaurant, it is where they shot some scenes from the movie You Got Mail with Tom Hanks.

     

It was time to order a cocktail. They are suppose to have a great rose sangria but they had run out for the day. So I went for a red sangria instead. It was good, nothing too special about it; it had a nice spice flavor to it.

One of the specials for the day were Aranchini. These Sicilian rice balls were loaded with fresh ground meat, peas, and carrots that were tossed in a pasta sauce. Then the mixture was covered with tender rice, breaded, and deep fried.

There was a generous amount of Parmesan cheese on top. They put the pasta sauce on the side which was good. It allowed the aranchini to stay crispy. I simply dipped each bite in the sauce before I ate it. The inside meat filling was very flavorful and it was accented with the taste of the pasta sauce.

I also shared the chicken nachos with my friend. The portion size was huge so it is definitely a must share. The nachos were loaded with creamy queso, fresh pico de gallo, and cilantro. The chicken was chopped up well so that it was easy to pick up with the chips.

It was a perfect night to have dinner outside. Not only was the view of the sunset wonderful but I had awesome company. We also visited at the perfect time because Boat Basin Cafe is only open seasonally. So if you are in the city before it gets too cold check them out.

www.boatbasincafe.com

Enjoy!

T

Once again I found myself visiting New York City.  What I love most about New York is the food scene. There are so many kinds of restaurants, from the hole in the wall neighborhood bars to high end, reservations required a year in advance, restaurants. There is something for everyone.

Not far from my hotel was a cute bar/restaurant called Trademark. You are greeted by a doorway full of ivy.

When you walk through the door there is a small bar and counter which I could only assume was for take out orders or quick bites.

As I walked further into the restaurant I was memorized by all the decorations along the walls. There were different types of candles and candle holders that had the romantic lighting reflecting across all the mirrors.

They also had this beautiful white subway tiles lining the walls and ceiling. The crisp white color glowed at the reflection of the lights and candles.

     

They even had these strange little wooden statues hanging on the wall.

They were offering a few specials on the menu the night I was there. Their meat and cheese tray sounded like a great starter. They offered fresh made slices of pepperoni and salami. They toasted up some crispy and buttery crostini. They offered an assortment of different olives (be careful – they were not pitted) and sweet white raisins (these complemented the salty meat). The star of this tray was the fresh made mozzarella cheese. The cheese was soft and creamy. There was a slight saltiness to the cheese, but it was not overwhelming.  It was also delicious with the sweet white raisins.

For my dinner I ordered the Rigatoni Bolognese. They offered two portion sizes. I went for the smaller portion. The tender pasta was tossed in the meaty Bolognese sauce that had a rich, hearty taste. They sprinkled fresh grana padano cheese over the paste. Grana padano is very similar to Parmigiano Reggiano.

Right in the center of this pasta was a dollop of fresh, soft Ricotta cheese. The smooth texture of the cheese mixed perfectly with the meat sauce to create an even creamier sauce for the pasta. It was rich in taste but because I got the smaller portion I was able to each the entire bowl of pasta without feeling overly full.

The food was so fresh at Trademark I enjoyed both things I ordered. They had a few other menu items that sounded wonderful, I would want to head back to try them. See what they are all about on their website www.trademarktaste.com

Enjoy!

T