Vietnamese Brunch at Bao Noodles
Bao Noodles
391 2nd Ave
(bet 22nd & 23rd St)
New York, NY
212.725.7770
212.725.6183
www.baonoodles.com
To many Americans, the thought of eating tripe (sections of cow, pig, sheep, etc. stomach), save for a guy like Anthony Bourdain is unheard of; revolting, even. I am not one of those Americans. While I do appreciate and enjoy a plate of spicy buffalo wings or a turkey club, I also find that I am learning to enjoy more exotic and ethnic foods. Vietnamese cuisine is not totally foreign to Americans. In fact, the recent popularity surge in the traditional French-Vietnamese Bahn Mi has given Vietnamese cuisine a new chance to prove itself on the New York City stage with other more traditional dishes. Bao Noodles in Gramercy Park is bringing New Yorkers what they want, and challenging us to try something new and different and what I came to find out, a spread that may even satisfy the cravings of Mr. Bourdain, himself. || Read more »
Celebrate Chinese New Year & Valentine’s Day!
Valentine’s Day throws us for a loop this year – landing on a Sunday, one week after Super Bowl. Whether you’re in the afterglow or aftershock of the results of the big game, you’ll no doubt be obligated to step up and treat your lady to a full day of Valentine’s bliss. But fear not – arranging a romantic dinner or even a brunch is easier than you think. NYC restaurants are posting enough special deals to make everyone happy. And even if you’re flying this one solo (again) there’s something for everyone!
Theater District | Victor’s Cafe for Restaurant Week
Victor’s Cafe
236 West 52nd Street
New York, NY 10019
212-586-7714
www.victorscafe.com
I look forward to Restaurant Week, as it gives me the opportunity to sample some of New York City’s finest restaurants with a prix-fixe menu. For this excursion, some friends and I visited Victor’s Cafe, a Cuban hot spot that has been serving the theater district since 1963. Although we had not seen a show, I did notice that Victor’s had a very reasonable after theater menu.
Upon entering Victor’s, our coats were taken, and we met the rest of our party at the bar, where they were enjoying some red sangria and fried plantains. We were led right to our table, which was nestled between a semi circular couch and a few chairs. The decor, featuring colorful artwork and bamboo accents, projected the pre-embargo Cuba one might see in an old movie, possibly because the restaurant was only opened a year after the embargo went into effect. Our waiter quickly procured another pitcher of sangria for the table, and I enjoyed a tasty cocktail while browsing the menu. || Read more »
Restaurant Week Jan 25-Feb 7th – Book Today!
Book your table now!
To view all of the participating restaurants or to book a table, hit the jump. || Read more »
Grand Opening: RBC NYC on Worth Street
RBC NYC
71 Worth Street
New York, NY 10013
{Google Map}
There’s coffee shops and then there’s coffee shops. How many coffee shops that you know of are using a Slayer Espresso machine in the city? Um, none…zip….zero…..zilch. The first machine out east, this $18,000 behemoth is the espresso machine that legends are made of, and lovers of coffee will travel far and wide to experience it. It’s fitting that a machine this expensive has opened up on Worth Street downtown. RBC NYC opened yesterday to a bit of fanfare and if you feel the need to try out some of the finest espresso, you should leave…..right now.
[via Gizmodo]
Image courtesy of RBCNYC
Upcoming Event: NYC Restaurant Week (January 25th – February 7th)
It’s that time of year again to hunker down in the winter wind and make your way to your favorite restaurant (or one that is normally above the usual price range.) NYC Restaurant Week will be starting out of the gate on January 25th and you can be sure that you’ll have plenty of company at these three course, prix-fixe meals. Reservations go quickly, so head on over to their site now to make reservations and to browse through the menus.
Chez Lucienne – Harlem’s 1st French Brasserie
Chez Lucienne, the Michelin rated French restaurant in Harlem is still assimilating – the heart that is the food is authentic (and delicious!), but the façade is in a state of flux as the newcomer tries to settle into its new home. || Read more »
I Know How to Cook and you can, too!
Celebrate the season with French home cooking!
Visit the new Phaidon Pop-up Store Thursday, December 10th at 6:30PM for an exclusive talk and book signing with Clotilde Dusoulier of Chocolate & Zucchini, who adapted the English edition of I Know How to Cook.
I Know How to Cook is the first English translation of France’s cookery bible, Je sais cuisiner by Ginette Mathiot. First published in 1932 it includes over 1,400 classic French recipes that have now been updated for the modern kitchen.
What could be better than home cooked French food? Having someone else cook it, of course. Selections from the book and wine will be served. Yowser!
This is the perfect gift for all the Francofiles on your holiday list (or anyone who loves good food for that matter)!
Thursday, December 10th at 6:30pm
100 Wooster Street (between Prince and Spring streets)
New York, NY 10012
212.925.1900
Nights in White Linen, Please
To table cloth or not to table cloth that is the question buzzing around today. Let us weigh in -
Abso-friggin-lutely!
(Oh, pardon my casual ghettoization of the English language while I bemoan the casualization of America for a moment) The food is delicious, the atmosphere lovely, but sitting at a naked table and trying not to stare at its nether regions lying bare – what were you thinking Allegretti? Steve Cuozzo of the Post blames it on the general trend of “creeping casualization…clublike zoos…tacky “grazing” menus, overgrown lounges and unbearable noise.”
He’s right. It is tacky. Recently, I dined at a lovely Michelin rated French restaurant. The food was superb, but the tables were covered in white plastic table cloths. A French restaurant with no white linens or worse, white plastic! Get my smelling salts I’m feeling faint. This is quite frankly a mortal sin unless there is crawfish and BBQ somewhere in the vicinity and no, neither were present. This faux pas was topped only by the paper napkin sitting sadly in my lap. Oh what have we come to, America. Why the slow degradation of dining decorum? You’ve taken away all sense of dress decorum now you attack a veritable stronghold – upscale restaurant dining? What will go next? I say revolt. Okay, not too much revolt because then our beloved upscale restaurants may cave, so what are we to do? What every girl is an expert at doing and what every guy denies doing – silently sit peeved and pretend to like it (while oh course, you await the inevitable plastic cup and paper plate to arrive.) Oh and it will, yes my friends, it will but it shall be called eco-friendly.
Barking Dog Luncheonette in Yorkville
Barking Dog Luncheonette
1453 York Ave.
(77th/78th Streets)
New York, NY 10021
212-861-3600
{Google Map | flickr}
Every so often I find myself in a restaurant where I truly enjoyed the food, but felt that the staff was so inept and rude that it ruined my dining experience. Barking Dog Luncheonette in Yorkville was my latest experience in this series of occasional mishaps. Rather than a review, let’s give you an overview of the carnage. || Read more »
