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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Keith McNally’s Minetta Tavern, Greenwich Village, NYC

The high-end French bistro, Minetta Tavern, originally opened in 1937, was named after the eponymous Brook that ran southwest from 23rd Street to the Hudson River. Various writers — Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, Eugene O'Neill, E. E. Cummings, Dylan Thomas, and Joe Gould — frequented the tavern. Today it still has vintage decor, a warm vibe and friendly service. While sipping our hearty cocktails — my Bulleit Old Fashioned, one friend's Cosmo and Lemon Drop ($21 each), we nibbled their warm loaf of bread. Dangerously, addictive. Two of us indulged in their acclaimed burger and fries. Since we couldn't decide between the regular Minetta burger ($31) topped with Cheddar or [...]

By |2023-01-02T14:02:52-05:00December 21st, 2022|Big Apple Life, City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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This Time Dinner at Electric Lemon, Hudson Yards, NYC

I've been recommending Electric Lemon on the 24th floor of the Equinox Hotel at Hudson Yards since I tasted their crab in a crunchy ginger dressing. It was that good. We started with that crab ($24) and added the cauliflower flatbread ($20) topped with hummus, sun-dried tomatoes and herbs and a bottle of Sancerre, Noël et Jean-Luc Raimbault 2021 ($78) One entree was better than the next. The juicy chicken sat atop ($34) a flavorful blend of veggies; the halibut atop a pool of beans topped with mustard greens; and the tender dry-aged duck over honey and plum-sweetened freekeh. Each worth going back for. Skip the polenta fries — it's [...]

By |2024-09-12T11:38:18-04:00December 18th, 2022|City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|2 Comments
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Aldo Solm Wine Bar, Midtown, NYC + Leopoldstadt

Urban Hawkers didn't cut it for us, as we both prefer being served to food courts. That's how we ended up at Aldo Salm, the casual wine bar across the alley from Le Bernardin serving light French fare. I'd expect a server to provide a clean glass for sampling each wine at a wine bar. Not! Our waiter oddly used one wine glass for sampling two wines. We ended up with the crisp Fiano, Ciro Picariello, Irpinia, Campania ‘21 ($14), which worked with the whole roasted cauliflower with chimichurri sauce ($18) and the duck confit ($26) over highly dressed frisée and watercress with thinly sliced fennel and radishes. I wished [...]

By |2022-12-18T22:45:41-05:00December 15th, 2022|NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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A Quick Lunch at Jams, Midtown, NYC

We had a short time to grab a bite near my daughter-in-law's hotel before she hailed a taxi to JFK. That's how we ended up at Jam's, Johnathan Waxman's midtown restaurant serving seasonal food. It was unseasonably warm, so we grabbed a table outside. Jams guacamole and chips ($18) were tasty, with flavorful black corn nixtamal chips served with mashed avocado flavored with lots of cilantro and lime. Refreshing, especially after some unripe guac I had had recently at a high-end Mexican chain. I recommend their flavorful multi-colored beet salad containing pomegranate arils, chopped pistachio nuts and fresh arugula in a tahini yogurt. So good, as was the fresh cauliflower [...]

By |2022-12-18T22:48:03-05:00December 12th, 2022|Big Apple Life, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Serra by Birreria on Eataly Rooftop, Flatiron, NYC

A trip to the original Eataly on 23rd Street with lunch on their scenic rooftop was the final stop before my Dame friends departed after our October international Les Dames d'Escoffier conference. Being our last meal together this time, we asked our waiter to serve our order in courses so we could linger. And we ordered their special "$39 Bottle" red, their Pietro Beconcini Antiche Vie Chianti, Tuscany. He first served us the Gnocchi al Pomodoro ($19) and the Insalata del Mercat ($16). The salad blended Lani's Farm lettuces and shaved  carrots and fennel in a red wine vinaigrette. We wished we had bread to sop up the tomato-basil sauce [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:03:49-04:00December 9th, 2022|City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rooftop|0 Comments
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Brunch at Miriam, Upper West Side, NYC + Sample Sale

I heard about a sample sale leftover shop on the Upper West Side. I wanted to check it out, so I arranged to meet a friend who lives uptown at Miriam's on Amsterdam Avenue for lunch. I recommend the Mediterranean Salad ($16). It's a combo of avocado and diced veggies wrapped in grilled eggplant strips, sprinkled with sesame seed, za'atar and pita croutons, tossed with light lemon herb vinaigrette and topped with a chunk of French feta. We ordered sides of grilled halloumi ($8) and labneh ($8). Both good. We weren't as fond of the falafel platter ($20) with their not-so-light-and-airy falafel balls, with hummus and Israeli salad with big [...]

By |2022-12-18T23:01:13-05:00December 5th, 2022|NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Jasmine’s Caribbean Cuisine Theatre District, NYC + Six

Jasmine's brings Caribbean flavor to Restaurant Row. We stopped in after seeing the spectacular, just over an hour musical Six, about the six wives of Henry VIII at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on 47th. Our server greeted us with a big Caribbean-style smile as we entered Jasmine's, a part Jamaican restaurant around the corner from that theatre. Their attentively made drinks are good. There's an oversized salt-rimmed Margie ($17), a tall mojito ($16) swimming in fresh mint and a mule ($15) in a copper cup with a cinnamon stick.    The food is more uneven. Don't, though, miss their spicy and piquant jerk wings. The kitchen has a heavy hand with [...]

By |2022-12-05T08:52:21-05:00December 3rd, 2022|NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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Cull & Pistol Oyster Bar, Chelsea Market, NYC

A cull is a lobster that's lost one of its claws; a pistol is one that lost both claws, usually due to predators. The Cull & Pistol is a Michelin-recommended seafood restaurant located in the heart of Chelsea Market. My friend, who recently moved to the nearby Lantern, frequents them weekly for their dozen varieties of oysters on the half-shell offered half-price happy hour during happy hour from 4 to 6 pm Monday through Friday. That's why she skipped the oysters as we met for lunch, not happy hour, with Dames in from out of town for our Les Dames d'Escoffier conference. To start, we shared their frito misto with [...]

By |2022-12-05T08:49:56-05:00December 1st, 2022|City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Misirizzi, NoHO, NYC + Raisin in the Sun

Misirizzi on East 4th Street is a small Italian restaurant with friendly, knowledgeable service and good food. And it's around the corner from The Public, where we saw Raisin in the Sun. This powerful play, first introduced in 1959, is about a family's experiences with racism and housing discrimination as they try to improve their lives.  Since it was a warm fall evening, we ate outside and decided that when we returned, we'd sit inside by the fireplace. I recommend the julienned endive, crumbled gorgonzola, candied walnuts and sliced pear ($14) salad. Also tasty is the baked butternut squash, escarole and chickpeas with Ricotta Salata ($14).  Don't miss their homemade lasagna [...]

By |2022-10-30T20:33:41-04:00November 29th, 2022|Big Apple Life, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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Cafe Fiorello, Lincoln Square, NYC + School of American Ballet

The School of American Ballet (SAB), the most renowned ballet school in the US. founded by George Balanchine in 1934, welcomed my Ex.expat group one morning recently. If you're unfamiliar, SAB has been the official training academy of the New York City Ballet for the past seven decades. Its purpose is "to provide dancers as well trained as any other technician, whether a surgeon, architect or musician." We attended an advanced practice session taught by the amazing Suki Schorer, a Balanchine Trust répétiteur who has turned out ballerinas for over 50 years. From 1959 until 1972, Suki danced with George Balanchine's New York City Ballet. To learn more about SAB, [...]

By |2022-12-04T17:05:59-05:00November 27th, 2022|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Brunch at Dame-Owned Vinateria, Harlem, NYC

Like many of the fun Les Dames d'Escoffier conference events, our New York Harlem fund-raiser was sold out. I decided to take a group who hadn't booked in time to Harlem for brunch at Dame Yvette Leeper Bueno's Vinateria, where I'd dined before. (A Dame is a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier.) Brunch entrees include a mimosa, bloody Mary or complimentary coffee or tea. Our group tried their delicious carbonara ($21) with guanciale, egg and Grana Padano; the autumn salad ($15) with roasted squash, carrots, roasted red pepper, apples, candied walnuts, cranberries, feta and chicory; and the house-cured smoked salmon eggs benedict; and the Applewood smoked bacon cheeseburger with fries [...]

By |2022-12-04T17:02:52-05:00November 25th, 2022|NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Mermaid Inn in the Red Cat Space, Chelsea, NYC

As we were seated at our table in the new Chelsea Mermaid Inn in the old Red Cat space on Tenth and 23, the waiter rushed over to share that happy hour would end in three minutes. That welcoming enabled us to save $6 on each of our well-made cocktails and to order the fried calamari ($11) only on the HH menu. Instead of Prosecco, they use blanc de blanc for the Aperol spritz bubbles; and olive juice and hot sauce for the "dirty" martini. I liked the peppadew garnish in the latter. Both those drinks and the squid were good. That Happy hour runs from 4:30 to 6:30 at [...]

By |2022-12-04T16:59:51-05:00November 23rd, 2022|NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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An Institution: Mother’s Restaurant, New Orleans, LA

Mother's Restaurant has been a breakfast institution since 1938 across the street from Hotel Fontenot, where we were staying. I had heard many legends about this cafeteria-style joint that always draws crowds. Mothers serves Breakfast all day. One morning, we decided to join the long line outside the door to try it. The line moves quickly, as once inside the door, you are handed a menu, then queue up to order and pay before you head into one of the large dining rooms to find a table receipt in hand. Once at the table, your server gathers the proof of purchase and serves your food. Although not attractively presented, the [...]

By |2022-10-20T10:27:19-04:00November 21st, 2022|Bites from the Road, USA, USA Restaurants|2 Comments
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STATE Grill and Bar, Midtown, NYC

I was invited to dine at State Grill and Bar, the upscale, ground-floor Empire State Building restaurant, for a tasting. What intrigued me was a fixed-price meal package deal available when you buy a ticket to the observatory on top of the Empire State Building. When you do, you will be prompted, depending on the time of your visit, to buy a two-course lunch ( $40) or a three-course dinner ($60).  Or you can purchase an add-on meal while visiting the 80 or 86th-floor at one of the kiosks. Tickets to the observatory start at $42 for seniors; $44 for adults; the rates are higher during sunset. We each began [...]

By |2022-11-20T14:21:19-05:00November 19th, 2022|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|1 Comment
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Prosciutto & Delice Board at RH Rooftop, Meat Packing, NYC

To commence a celebration of a friend's birthday, we started at RH Rooftop with a bottle of rosè bubbly. Specifically, the Pierre Sparr Cremant d'Alsace ($64). This ripe and juicy sparkler worked well with our prosciutto and cheese platter with a warm baguette and chilled grapes ($45). Knowing we were starting a b-day celebration, the restaurant brought us a warm (making it irresistible) chocolate chip cookie bearing a lit candle. A wonderful way to spend an afternoon. If you've never been, I highly suggest a trip. RH Rooftop Meatpacking District 9 Ninth Avenue New York, NY 10014 rh.com

By |2024-07-21T11:04:02-04:00November 17th, 2022|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rooftop|0 Comments
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Building Hope, Changing Lives: Cafè Reconcile, New Orleans, LA

The best food on this New Orleans trip? Cafè Reconcile. It's a lunch-only service restaurant with Southern foods cooked and served by at-risk youth in job training. Cafè Reconcile builds hope while changing lives. Everything we ate was delicious. We ended up there because of its proximity — across the street — to the SoFAB Museum, where we had headed after the opening of the John & Bonnie Boyd Hospitality & Culinary Library, where my book collection is now housed. Portions are enormous; the prices the opposite with delicious food. The chicken and andouille gumbo ($4) danced in my mouth! That cup s0 satisfied, so I couldn't finish the hearty [...]

By |2022-11-20T14:24:31-05:00November 15th, 2022|Bites from the Road, USA Restaurants, USA Travel|0 Comments
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Lafayette, NoHo, NYC + Baldwin and Buckley

Pre-COVID, I have had some decent meals, including a fun birthday at Lafayette, Andrew Carmelini’s French restaurant in NoHo. We stopped in for brunch one rainy day before heading to The Public to see Baldwin and Buckley. For a review of that show, click here. We appreciated the good vibe as we lucked out being seated in a corner banquette away from the noise. Four of us started with purportedly spicy bloody Marys ($17). Other than the composed Niçoise Salad garnished with rare tuna, anchovies and an egg ($36), the rest of the food was plebeian at best.  The smoked salmon Benedict ($30) was okay. The shakshuka was overcooked, resulting in [...]

By |2022-11-20T17:35:34-05:00November 12th, 2022|NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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Lunch at Kofradia – Itsas Etxea, San Sebastian, Spain

With our final meal of our San Sebastian trip being that night, we had a light lunch at Kofradia, a fisherman's house offering fresh fish caught nearby in Basque Country. We sipped the Viña Zorzal Rosado ($16€), a Garnacha rosé. We were in sticker shock at that price, which is for a bottle, not a glass! For lunch we ate the Thon blanc marinée avec jus de tomatoes et des olives. That's freshly marinated white tuna with ripe tomatoes and manzanilla olives (14€). We sopped up every drop with their crusty bread. Perfection. Had to smile at the presentation of the bill in an anchovy can! I highly recommend a [...]

By |2022-11-20T17:38:00-05:00November 10th, 2022|Bites from the Road, World, World Restaurants|0 Comments
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The Always Wonderful Casa Mono, Gramercy-Flatiron, NYC

I needed Spanish food. Seriously, I was in withdrawal, having returned recently from San Sebastian. That's why I selected the Michelin 1-star Casa Mono to meet a friend for lunch. It never disappoints. Since I chose the place,  I let my dining partner, a wine professional, Wanda Man, founder of Wine With Wanda and East Coast Editor, The SOMM Journal, select our wine. After chatting with their Somm, she chose Sin Mas 20 ($59), a fun, funky red from Galicia. This light-bodied, low-alcohol wine "had a Kombucha quality that the Somm described. But the fruit was fresh and bright, with no oak. A very good match with our meal," said [...]

By |2022-11-20T14:21:27-05:00November 7th, 2022|Big Apple Life, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Lunch at Ongi Etorri, Saint Jean De Luz, France

On our way to France for the day, we stopped to attend the unique Alarde parade in the charming medieval town of Hondarribia (Spain), where everyone in the city celebrates by dressing in red and white. Afterward, we stopped for lunch in Saint Jean De Luz, where we tripped across the Ongi Etorri cafe. We were thrilled we did. Two had the pot of mussels (15 €), and others ordered the 3-course menu (19.50 €). My friend began with the green salad with fried camembert and grilled sardines with fries. I delighted in eating the sweet piquillo red peppers stuffed with a delicate cod mousse, followed by an unremarkable chicken [...]

By |2022-11-01T09:45:59-04:00November 4th, 2022|World, World Restaurants, World Travel|2 Comments
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