Bonnie from BiteoftheBest.com

About Bonnie Tandy Leblang

Blogger Bonnie Tandy Leblang has been covering food since before it was hip to do so! She’s penned magazine, newspaper and syndicated food columns in addition to cookbooks. Follow her on twitter @BonnieBOTB and on Instagram@BiteoftheBest and at @BonnieBOTB "I eat for a living!” is her mantra, sharing what she’s sampled so you’ll know where (or where not) to go, plus what food products and gadgets to try. For her full bio go to the about us page.
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Panchita’s Place, South Slope, Brooklyn, NYC + Catacombs of Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery

Panchita's place was close to the entrance of Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery, where we were heading to listen to superstar Norwegian violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing performing her Arctic program in the Catacombs. Death of Classical offers this and other unique classical music experiences. The 478-acre cemetery, now a National Historic Landmark, was founded in 1838. It boasts the largest outdoor collections of nineteenth- and twentieth-century mausoleums and statuary. I had Panchit's classico margarita ($14), my dining partner, their generous pour of white sangria ($12). With that, we nibbled their crispy chips with salsa so good we kept getting refills. We tried their Al Pastor Tacos ($14)  and sautèed roasted corn with epazote [...]

By |2023-08-09T13:20:07-04:00August 10th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Birthday Dinner at Bad Roman, Columbus Circle, NYC

To continue my birthday celebration, a group of good friends took me to Bad Roman, the new, impossible-to-get-into restaurant on the third floor of the Shops at Columbus Circle. We got in, as one of my friends is a restaurant trade magazine editor. Bad Roman — part of the Quality Branded restaurant group — is in the former Landmarc space in the former Time-Warner, now the Deutsche Bank Center. It's one of those fun, fashionably trendy places where you rave about the place more than the food. We arrived early to grab a drink. With it 3-deep at the bar, that wasn't happening. We got that drink and enjoyed each [...]

By |2023-08-09T12:18:08-04:00August 8th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Happy Hour*** at Vinateria, Harlem, NYC

At a champagne event earlier this year, I met a new friend who lives uptown, a short walk from Dame Yvette Leeper-Bueno Harlem Restaurant Vinateria. When I learned she hadn't been, we decided to meet there for happy hour.  I laughed as we bumped into two other Dames also there to enjoy Yvette's seasonal Italian and Spanish cuisine and wine. (A Dame, by the way, is a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier, a philanthropic woman's organization. Our mission is to inspire, advance and support women in food, beverage and hospitality to achieve excellence in leadership and philanthropy.) I started with their maple pecan Old Fashioned ($10) while my friend sipped [...]

By |2023-09-02T19:36:33-04:00August 6th, 2023|Happy Hours, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Cucina Alba, The Lantern House, Chelsea, NYC

Since Cucina Alba opened last August in The Lantern House on West 18th Street, my friend, who lives in the building, has been raving about this Italian restaurant from the Prince Street Hospitality Group. When we arrived, she was welcomed like an old friend. We opted for outdoor seating on Tenth Avenue. I began with their pineapple margarita made with tequila reposado ($19); my friend had a mock mojito loaded with fresh mint. We had the crispy roasted artichoke hearts with s garlicky lemon dip ($24) and their unusual eggplant parmigiana ($18). The latter is a thick slice topped with ricotta and parmigiana in a puddle of tomato sauce.  With [...]

By |2023-08-04T16:52:24-04:00August 4th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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This Year’s North River Lobster Boat, Pier 81, NYC

A sail on the North River Lobster boat has been an annual event since it started its excursions in 2014 when the sail was free. This summer, like last, you must buy a $10 timed pass to sail up the Hudson for 1 hour or on the 7 pm cruise for 2 hours, a sail that goes to the Statue of Liberty and back.  This floating lobster shack offers table service with libations. We started with Aperol Spritz ($14), a Frozé (frozen rose) and a blue moon Margarita ($16) before the boat left the dock. This year instead of each of us buying our own classic lobster roll on a [...]

By |2023-07-08T14:45:57-04:00August 2nd, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Dames at the Lookup Rooftop Bar at Kixby, Midtown, NYC

Our New York chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier hosted a midtown rooftop party for other organization members attending the Summer Fancy Food Show at the Javits Center at the Lookup Rooftop Bar. The Kixby hotel generously provided complimentary glasses of bubbles (Cava) to kick off the early evening meetup. Florida Dame Marie Charlotte Piro and her brother, Romain Piro, importers of Tuscan olive oil, treated us to nachos and dips served with seasonal vegetables, tortilla chips & grilled bread. They drizzled each platter with their eponymous rich oil. Those tasty nachos ($15) included spiced tortilla chips topped with chili con carne, green chili beer cheese, pickled onions, pico de gallo, [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:03:06-04:00July 30th, 2023|Big Apple Life, City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rooftop|2 Comments
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Vietnamese Cyclo, Long Island City, Queens

Meeting friends in Long Island City for lunch was my first venture to Queens since the Pandemic. We had decided to meet at Cyclo, a Cheap Eats* casual Thai restaurant on 47th Avenue not far from the Vernon Boulevard-Jackson Avenue stop on the 7. (*I currently define "cheap eats" as a meal under $20). We shared the shrimp summer—rice-paper-wrapped—rolls ($9 per 2) with a spice hoisin-peanut sauce for dipping to start the meal and continue chatting.  The dish to order is their vermicelli noodle salad with grilled pork. In addition to the noodles, that bowl contains green leaf lettuce, bean sprouts, cucumbers, fresh mint and scallions plus pickled daikon and [...]

By |2023-07-29T12:03:42-04:00July 29th, 2023|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Lamano, Chelsea, NYC + Sw!ng Out at the Joyce

We quickly ordered some drinks when we learned it was still happy hour. We decided to try one glass of each of the two sangria offerings—one Cava based, the other a more traditional red ($8). We were two-fisted drinkers. I chose Lamano for its proximity to The Joyce, where we were heading to see their SW!NG OUT performance with audience participation. It was six years ago that I first visited Lamano when it opened. I enjoyed the food then and found it's still just as good. We started with everything on the happy hour menu. That included the pan con tomato ($8 for three pieces) of the tomato bread, their [...]

By |2023-07-29T11:57:10-04:00July 27th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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A Return to Zou Zou, Manhattan West, for Father’s Day

My kids chose Zou Zou's to celebrate Father's Day for its proximity to their hotel, Pendry Manhattan West, the first NYC hotel for Montage Hotels & Resorts. Zou Zou is part of the Quality Branded restaurant group that includes Bad Roman, Quality Eats, Smith & Wollensky and more. The noise level outside would have been better without the building's fan. That said, it was preferable to a noisy dining room. I must be getting old, as noise affects me more than ever! Like my last visit, we couldn't decide between five mezze offerings, so we had them all ($35) to enjoy with their crudities and grilled Turkish flatbread, bazlama. Those [...]

By |2024-10-03T15:13:53-04:00July 25th, 2023|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Happy Hour*** at STK Midtown, NYC

When visiting friends wanted to meet midtown for a drink, I suggested STK Steakhouse's happy hour. It had been on my radar since my downstairs neighbor raved about the offerings. He was right. I laughed as I bumped into my friends on the street, looking for STK. Its Sixth Avenue address is confusing as the entrance is on 43. STK's happy hour, from 3 - 5:30 on weekends, is one of the best I've sampled recently. They offer good libations ($9) and lite bites ($3 - $9). That's only $9 each for a glass of Prosecco, a margarita and dirty martinis with three blue-cheese stuffed jumbo olives. The martini was [...]

By |2023-09-02T20:21:57-04:00July 23rd, 2023|Big Apple Life, Happy Hours, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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White Oak Tavern, Greenwich Village, NYC

My young cousin is enrolled in a  songwriting program at NYU. She was chosen for one of the 42 spots as a high schooler. Impressive. Being in town for only two weeks, I asked her to pick a place to have lunch. We met at the White Oak Tavern on the weekend and dined inside as there was a street fair along Waverly. I tried their blood orange mimosa ($17) offered for brunch and chose the omelet with three fillings. It came with a leafy green salad. I filled my omelet with roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions and goat cheese. My cousin had the meatless beyond burger ($19) on a pretzel [...]

By |2023-07-29T11:37:21-04:00July 21st, 2023|NYC Restaurant Reviews|1 Comment
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Terra Ristorante Italiano, Greenwich, CT

We chose Terra Ristorante on Greenwich Avenue to commence the weekend's festivities. Of course, we started with cocktails with a few of us sharing my love of Old Fashioneds ($18). One had their milky rum drink, the Jungle Bird ($16), with rum, Campari, milk and citrus, another the Old School ($16, a tequila old fashioned) and my grandkids sipped lemonade while my pregnant host had a virgin mojito. We ordered lots, sharing most and digging right in. My daughter-in-law — a sommelier selected our sensuous Tuscan Promis, Gaja, Toscana ($125).   Everything was good, from the wood-fired pepperoni pizza ($25) to the steamed P.E.I mussels ($18) with organic romaine hearts [...]

By |2023-07-29T11:33:46-04:00July 19th, 2023|Bites from the Road, USA, USA Restaurants|1 Comment
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Lunch at Ruby & Bella’s, Greenwich, CT

I hadn't seen my Nashville friends since I visited them pre-pandemic. They met Bryan and me at the train station so that we could start our visit on the walk to Ruby & Bella's on Greenwich's main drag. We stopped yakking only long enough to give our orders at this comfy Greenwich Avenue lunch spot. My son at the juicy Black Label Burger ($24) made from Pat la Frieda house blend, topped with cheddar and bacon on a smoked onion aioli spread brioche. I ordered the unusual buns filled with crispy cod topped with napa cabbage slaw and scallions in a soft pancake reminiscent of the Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwiches. [...]

By |2023-07-16T06:49:51-04:00July 17th, 2023|Bites from the Road, USA, USA Restaurants, USA Travel|0 Comments
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Lunch at La Mercerie to Commence My Big Birthday Weekend

My big birthday weekend was about to start with family and friends arriving in town. One friend offered to commence my two-day actual birthday with a light lunch. Two days? The doctor who delivered me asked my mother which day she wanted on my birth certificate as I was born at the stroke of midnight. As a birthday glutton, I celebrate both days and then some more. We met at La Mercier in SoHo, located inside the Roman and Williams Guild in SoHo, offering the everyday French cooking of Chef Marie-Aude Rose. My friend always makes birthday celebrations extra special, providing the birthday person with a crown, necklace and much [...]

By |2024-03-21T18:20:40-04:00July 15th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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IHOP (Yes, that pancake house) Pancake Tacos, East Village, NYC

My friend, a senior editor of Restaurant Business, a trade publication, asked me to join her to sample IHOP's new time-limited pancake tacos as she needed a videographer. That's such a fancy word for me holding the camera as she ate and spoke. We were pleasantly surprised. These pancake tacos come in four variations—two sweet and two savory—with an order of three tacos of the same flavor is $6, served in a metal taco holder. The Breakfast Pancake Taco comes filled with scrambled eggs, hickory-smoked bacon, a cheddar-Jack cheese blend and white cheese sauce. Salsa accompanies it. I sampled that one and found it acceptable for breakfast on the go. [...]

By |2023-07-14T11:33:03-04:00July 13th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Empire Diner, Chelsea, NYC + Kusama at David Zwirner

David Zwirner invited us to a press preview of his current Yayoi Kusama exhibit featuring new paintings, new sculptures elaborating on her signature dot motifs and a new Infinity Mirror Room.  The exhibit is open thru July 21, 2023. After the exhibit, we headed to grab a bite at the High Line Hotel, yet they weren't open and weren't opening soon. A bit hungry, we walked north on Tenth, stopping at the Empire Diner. I had an Aperol Spritz ($16), one friend a Virgin Mary ($8), the other a Watermelon Spritz ($16) while we shared crispy artichokes($14), crab Louis ($24) and tuna tartare ($22). Worth a visit. Empire Diner Chelsea [...]

By |2023-07-10T16:48:33-04:00July 11th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Campbell’s Apartment, Grand Central, NYC

More than a decade ago, when my friend said,  "Let's meet at Campbell's Apartment," I wondered whether I had met his friend Campbell! Now I know that the cocktail lounge in the Southwestern corner of the Grand Central Terminal oozes history, being the former office of financier John W. Campbell — a New York Central Railroad board member. It was also a music recital hall. Follow signs to the apartment up a staircase from the terminal's balcony to get there. Notice how the expansive high-ceiling lounge showcases 13th-century Florentine-inspired design, including a bank of century-old leaded glass windows, 25-foot hand-painted ceilings and an impressive stone fireplace. I liked my Old [...]

By |2023-07-10T16:44:09-04:00July 9th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Jupiter, Rockefeller Center, NYC + Grey House

I had to try Jupiter as my friend couldn't stop raving about it. She'd been multiple times.  I reserved a table on the rinkside terrace at Rockefeller Center, as recommended. This unusual dining underground is much quieter than inside. Cocktails ($19) first. My dining partner with a House Sprintz (Red aperitivo, sea buckthorn, natty rosé), which I'll order my next time over their version of their Manhattan 1801. We began with their fried artichokes ($17) that melted in our mouths. Not to be missed. Next, we split their house salad ($24) with asparagus spears, wild arugula, fennel, warm lentils and Castelrosso cheese. Also, delicious. Once the "Pane" ($15) basket with [...]

By |2023-07-16T07:36:10-04:00July 7th, 2023|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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A Return to El Parador — NYC’s Oldest Mexican Restaurant , Murray Hill, NYC

More than a decade ago, I first visited NYC's oldest continuously running Mexican restaurant and raved about it. Could El Parador be as good? I started with a margarita, selecting their spicy jalapeño one ($15) made with pepper-infused tequila, fresh lime juice and Marie Brizard Finesse Orange and served in a salt-rimmed glass. While awaiting my entree, I nibbled their warm chips dipped in their housemade also warm salsa.  I had ordered their Mole Poblano de Pollo ($28), aware of the 25 minutes wait. The half-chicken was worth the wait, bathed in a complex mole sauce made from two dozen ingredients, including Mexican chocolate. It was as delicious as my first [...]

By |2023-07-10T16:25:04-04:00July 5th, 2023|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Service Extraordinaire at Indochine + Joe’s Pub Loser’s Lounge

The location of Indochine, right across the street from The Public, was a perfect place to dine before heading to Joe's Pub's Loser's Lounge for a tribute to Hall and Oats. We sat outside as the night's weather was perfect. One dining partner and I sipped their Passion Pomegranate Margarita ($18, tequila, triple sec, passionfruit, pomegranate and lime), another the cucumber and chili martini ($18, made with vodka infused with pineapple and ginger and lime juice) and another the white Negroni ($18, made with gin, Lillet blanc and Suze). While waiting for our apps, two of us were getting "eaten alive" by bitting flying bugs; our server gave us extra [...]

By |2023-07-01T15:59:29-04:00July 1st, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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