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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Enoteca Maria, Staten Island, NYC + Dionne Warwick, St. George Theatre

Not knowing how long it would take to get there, we took an early ferry to Staten Island for our 5:30 dinner at Enoteca Maria, next to the historic St. George Theatre, where we were seeing Dionne Warwick. We arrived before the restaurant even opened, yet were welcomed and seated at the front window table to chat and people watch out the window. Instead of chefs, rotating Nonnes cook with Italian grandmother Maria the constant. Our night's menus include foods from both an Egyptian Nonna and a Japanese one. We asked Safa, our informative server, to course our selections as we had the time before their latter 7:30 seating, which [...]

By |2023-05-07T07:31:49-04:00April 27th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Other happenings, Theatre|1 Comment
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Tarallucci e Vino, Union Square, NYC

In looking for a warm cozy neighborhood spot to sit and yack, we decided on Tarallucci e Vino in Union Square. While deciding what to order, we sipped our dry Sardinian Nuragus (white) while nibbling their tender focaccia. The chicken dish — pollo — is not to be missed ($29). Murray's tender chicken pieces arrive attractively stacked over fennel, potatoes and castelvetrano olives, all flavored with lavender and Calabrian chili. Their lasagne ($26) could have been better.  It was a dry layering of noodles, béchamel plus a beef and pork ragú. It might have been the night's last serving. I recommend this comfy neighborhood place to catch up with a [...]

By |2023-05-07T07:17:39-04:00April 25th, 2023|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Shiraz Mediterranean Kitchen, Chelsea, NYC

Shiraz Mediterranean Kitchen has been a Michelin bib gourmand — a good quality, good value — for the past three years. I visited recently with some out-of-town friends. We started our celebration with the deliciously earthy Orin Swift Papillon 2019 Napa wine with its dark fruit ($160). I learned it is a blend of St. Helena, Atlas Peak and  Rutherford grapes that's aged 15 months in French oak. What was a huge hit is their fresh herbs (basil, mint) with warm pita, fresh whole walnuts and feta cheese. So simple and delicious that we decided it would be an easy app to serve guests. Mirza, smoked eggplant with roasted garlic [...]

By |2023-04-22T12:37:52-04:00April 22nd, 2023|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Veselka, East Village, NYC + The Merchant House

Our outing with our ex.expat group started at The Merchant House, a home built in 1832 and purchased in 1835 by Seabury Tredwell, a prosperous New York City hardware merchant. The Tredwell family lived in the now-landmark late-Federal and Greek revival-style row house for nearly 100 years.  They offer both self-guided and guided tours. After our visit, we headed to Veselka, an East Village restaurant that's been serving traditional Ukrainian food since 1954. Veselka earned a James Beard Outstanding Restaurant nomination this year based on its “food, atmosphere and hospitality while contributing positively to its broader community." Our group sampled lots of their fare, including their homemade Ukrainian meat or [...]

By |2023-04-22T07:32:27-04:00April 17th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Crispy Mac & Cheese Bites from Pam Brandon’s Delicious Disney

While dining with Pam Brandon Parks, my old Disney publicist, on a recent trip to Orlando, she rightfully boasted that her "Delicious Disney: Walt Disney World: Recipes & Stories from The Most Magical Place on Earth," one of the many cookbooks she co-authored for Disney, was #2 that day on the New York Times best-seller list right after "Spare!" Her recipe's headnote stated, "Wine Bar George is the only Master Sommelier-led wine bar in Florida, with a wine list that rivals any other in the world. And the food isn't an afterthought, with small bites and family-style dishes to pair with any pour. These Crispy Mac & Cheese Bites are [...]

By |2023-04-22T07:30:40-04:00April 15th, 2023|Recipes, Starters|1 Comment
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Brunch at The Marshal, Hell’s Kitchen, NYC

I chose Charlie Marshal's eponymous restaurant for its proximity to where my dining partners were off to see A Beautiful Noise at the Neil Simon theatre. With brunch cocktails de rigueur, we began with them; two of us ordered the Bloody Mary ($12) and two the Bloody Caesar ($13), made with clam juice. With our drinks, we devoured their yummy (not to be missed) wood-oven baked biscuits with Beth's Farm sour cherry preserves and house-churned honey bacon butter (small $8.50). One frittata, made with Bulich Farm sauteed mushrooms, arugula and parmesan, came served with thick-cut bacon and roasted potatoes ($17.50). The 12-inch breakfast pizza ($21.50) is topped with aged mozzarella, Bulich Farm sautèed mushrooms and [...]

By |2024-05-11T09:06:17-04:00April 13th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Bangkok (Thai ) Food at Pranakhon, Union Square, NYC

My friend Babs raved about a new Thai restaurant in my hood, serving the food of Bangkok. On her recommendation, I met a friend for lunch in their airy, spacious dining room, allowing for easy conversation. Those who've been to Thailand might recognize the orange vests sported by the serving staff, similar to the delivery cyclists on Bangkok streets. They not only brighten the atmosphere but allow you to ID a server quickly. We started with the crispy chicken curry roti flatbread, cut into quarters and served with a sweet cucumber dipping sauce ($16) while we looked over the menu. Afterward, we shared Bangkok's most famous street dish, Krapow Moo [...]

By |2024-05-18T18:22:52-04:00April 11th, 2023|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Return to Balaboosta, West Village, NYC

After seeing the "birthday crown" on my dining partner, our server Mark at Balaboosta, brought us bubbly to celebrate! A perfect start to our celebratory Mediterranean meal. We shared all, starting with that night's special burrata, basil-kale pesto and a tomato-cherry jam ($21) with grilled sourdough bread; their eggplant with an almond crumble and red pepper tahini ($18); and their cauliflower with peanut tahini, lemon, Bamba ( Israeli peanut-butter-flavored puffed maize) and pickle crumble ($19). We then shared the pappardelle, chicken and greens, all worth trying. The pasta ribbons ($29) come tossed in a creamy mushroom and charred onion sauce; their tender brick chicken in muhammara (a red pepper and walnut mixture) comes [...]

By |2023-04-07T10:55:01-04:00April 9th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Wine Bar George, Disney Springs, Florida

I was dining with Pam Parks, my Disney publicist from the past, who still works for them as a writer of their cookbooks. Her latest Delicious Disney: Walt Disney World: Recipes & Stories from The Most Magical Place on Earth recently published. George Miliotes, Master Sommelier, happened to be at his namesake Wine Bar George when we lunched there recently.  The wine bar offers more than 140 wines by the glass, bottle and — for the pricey ones — by the ounce! The bar has received many accolades, being awarded the Best Micro Wine List in the World 2019, Best By-the-Glass Wine List With Coravin® in North America and Honored by [...]

By |2023-04-07T09:11:33-04:00April 7th, 2023|Bites from the Road, USA, USA Restaurants, USA Travel|0 Comments
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A Special Night at Tagmo, South Street Seaport, NYC

A dozen women, mainly members of the New York Chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier, enjoyed an exceptional meal at Tagmo, where fellow-Dame Surbhi Sahni created a special menu created for us. Her South Street Seaport restaurant honors India's regional food, "all made fresh, cooked slow and vegetable-forward with harmoniously balanced flavors." Surbi brought out dishes that she mentioned are rarely eaten outside India's home kitchens and food stalls.  In Bhutanese, Tagmo means tigress, the symbol of female strength across South Asia. Do not miss either her Khatta Meetha Chaat, a Delhi street salad with chickpeas, jicama, mangoes and cucumbers tossed in a Devil's chutney and topped with tiny potato crisps or [...]

By |2023-04-22T07:37:01-04:00April 5th, 2023|NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Celebration at Le Bernardin, Midtown, NYC

In celebration of my dining partner's cancer remission, we dined at Eric Ripert's Le Bernardin, the continually honored restaurant. Pete Wells (New York Times) again gave Le Bernardin their coveted 4-star review, previously bestowed on the restaurant by past Times reviewers. The Midtown Manhattan seafood restaurant has held that New York Times rating since it opened in 1986 when Bryan Miller gave the restaurant four stars, Ruch Reichl in 1995, Frank Bruni in 2005 and Pete Wells previously in 2012. We indulged in the 4-course Prix fixe menu for $198 and shared a white burgundy from a woman winemaker recommended by the Sommelier. We started with three tiny cups of [...]

By |2023-12-29T09:50:25-05:00April 3rd, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Rusty’s Seafood & Oyster Bar, Port Canaveral, Florida

One afternoon on a drive to Cocoa Beach, we ended up at a little dive on the water with one of the happiest, friendliest staff I've ever encountered. Even the owner, Rusty, was smiling as he bussed the tables — something, we were told, he frequently did. Rusty's Seafood & Oyster Bar is a dockside seafood restaurant where people come to watch Cape Canaveral launches.  I sampled their Moscow mule — the vodka-ginger beer mixture traditionally served in a copper mug; my dining partner tried Rusty's Relaxer with light and dark rum, banana liqueur, blackberry brandy and orange-pineapple juice. We ordered their smoked fish dip ($10) to accompany that. The [...]

By |2023-03-18T09:19:39-04:00April 1st, 2023|Bites from the Road, USA Restaurants|2 Comments
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New Kitchen Gadgets Shown at the Inspired Home Housewares Show

Once a year at Chicago's McCormick Place, the International Housewares Association's (IHA) Home + Housewares Market occurs in March. The organization often has a New York preview showcasing about 50 new products the companies introduced at the show. What follows are some of the new items that I'd like to share with you. As a New Yorker with a tiny kitchen, my eyes lit up when I saw the GreenPan Ovenware that would fit in my toaster oven, which I admit is where I do most of my baking. This ovenware is pricey yet durable with its ceramic nonstick coating, heavyweight gauge and one-piece design. The 8- X 8-inch square baker [...]

By |2023-04-07T09:36:50-04:00March 30th, 2023|Kitchen Counter, Drawer and More, Of Interest, Products|0 Comments
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Brunch at Mexican Cosme, Flatiron, NYC

Cosme, Enrique Olvera's one-Michelin-star acclaimed Mexican restaurant, is a 3-min walk from the Flatiron Building. The World's 50 Best lists it as one of the 50 best restaurants. When it opened in 2014, Mexican-born Daniela Soto-Innes was their chef; she won the James Beard Rising Star Award in 2016 at age 25 and was named the world’s best female chef at 28. She is about to open Rubra in the coastal state of Nayari inside the W Punta de Mita resort hotel in Mexico. Gustavo Garnica has since taken the reins. The food and service remain outstanding. I recently took a friend there for brunch to celebrate her birthday. We [...]

By |2023-03-18T09:19:00-04:00March 28th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Morimoto Asia + Frontera Cocina, Disney Springs, Orlando, Florida

We headed over to Disney Springs to dine a few times while I was in Orlando, as there were more than 60 options to eat, including 25 table-service restaurants. I must be getting old, as I found the noise level at dinner at these restaurants deafening. Not surprisingly, Morimoto's drinks lean toward Asian, with two of our cocktails made with Japanese whisky and sake. I sampled their Old Fashioned ($18) made with Suntory Toki whisky ($18), while another tried the sake sangria topped with fresh Asian pears and apples. Their Mai Tai is more traditional ($18), made with Cruzan coconut rum and a floater of Appleton estate rum. Don't miss [...]

By |2023-03-24T08:09:10-04:00March 26th, 2023|Bites from the Road, USA Travel|0 Comments
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Dim Sum Palace, Lower East Side, NYC + Museum at Eldridge Street

Our ex.expat group explored the 1887 Eldridge Street Synagogue, the first great house of worship by Eastern European Jewish immigrants in the United States. We had arranged for a knowledgeable docent to guide us. He took us through its sweeping history, from the synagogue as a cultural hotspot in the bustling Jewish Lower East Side to decades of decay to its miraculous rebirth as a 21st-century museum. Always grabbing a bite after one of our outings, we walked around the corner to the new (opened in December) Dim Sum Palace, offering made-to-order dim sum and traditional Cantonese cuisine. Some favorites of our group of twenty included har gow (translucent dumplings stuffed [...]

By |2023-03-23T23:44:26-04:00March 24th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Thai at Wan Waan, Chelsea, NYC + The Joyce

I love discovering new places with good food close to a theatre! That's Wan Waan Thai restaurant on Eighth Avenue near The Joyce. We stopped in for lunch before a matinee performance of what we thought was hip-hop dance. That Joyce's production was more tale than dance. The story was of love, fear and triumph that's rooted in the traditions of Hip-Hop, not as much dance. The London Times called it "The Basquiat of the U.S. contemporary dance scene."   Wan Waan's weekend special offered a choice of an appetizer (we both chose the small spring rolls) and an entree. We chose their coconut green curry ($16) with bell peppers, bamboo shoots, [...]

By |2023-03-18T09:17:44-04:00March 22nd, 2023|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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Ideal Brunch Location: Sesamo + “Wolf” at Theatre at MCC

As seasoned ticket holders to MCC's relatively new location on West 52 between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues, we always look for restaurants to sample before theatre. We decided to try Sesamo, an ideally located restaurant on Tenth and 52, before heading to see Hansol Jung's "Wolf Play," about a South Korean boy being re-homed with new LBGTQ parents. A puppet represents the boy on stage. Sesamo is the Asian-Italian eatery I recently sampled as their guest and so enjoyed. We started with their $32 bottomless brunch. I tried their bloody Mary, my dining partner their red sangria. I'd recommend their chef's selection of crispy (6) dumplings filled with garam masala seasoned [...]

By |2023-03-23T23:27:51-04:00March 20th, 2023|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|1 Comment
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Prix Fixe Seafood Lunch at Avra Rockefeller Center, Midtown, NYC

We headed to Avra just north of Rockefeller Center for their prix fixe $34.50 lunch. Its elegant space and good food make it worth the stop. My dining partner had their fish soup, described by Petros, our fabulous server, as similar to a beef stew with potatoes, carrots, celery and tomato sauce, with Chilean seabass instead of meat. Flavorful and hearty. I sampled their keftedes, meatballs with fresh herbs in a light tomato and feta sauce. Their yummy bread service includes a pile of crispy flatbread, diced radishes, olives and hummus. We both selected the fish of the day, the fillet of Mediterranean seabass with sauteed artichokes, carrots and green [...]

By |2023-03-23T23:37:13-04:00March 16th, 2023|NYC Restaurant Reviews|2 Comments
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