Big Apple Life

A collection of posts on Life in the Big Apple along with interviews with foodie friends

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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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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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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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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The Asian-Italian Sesamo in Hell’s Kitchen, NYC

Sesamo, a relatively new Italian restaurant with an Asian accent in Hell's Kitchen, should be on your radar. Their publicist invited me to sample their tasty, unusual fare. The food is worth schlepping west to try, and the atmosphere is inviting. My dining partner tried their Boba Mocktail ($10) made with black tea, boba pearls, Yakult milk [a Japanese sweetened probiotic fermented milk beverage], lime and simple syrup. Boba pearls are made from cassava (tapioca) starch associated with bubble tea. I tried their upscale Eldest Child of Divorce ($30) with a smoky taste from the Añejo Mezcal, 16-year Islay Scotch that makes it a bit "spicier," bitters, agave and an [...]

By |2023-03-11T09:40:50-05:00March 10th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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New to the West Village, Gab’s, NYC

My friend had noticed a write-up on Gab's opening in the West Village and made a reservation for us during their first week open. Visual artist and owner Gabby Madden's concept is trendy now. She's serving locally sourced and seasonal comfort food focused on sustainability. That week, we relied on our helpful server Claudia's descriptions of each dish to assist us in making our choices. We couldn't resist her description of the Celeriac Dauphinoise (neither could the tables around us!) of thinly sliced celeriac, potato and leeks layered like a "baklava" on top of carrots and celery in a green, celery buerre blanc sauce. That dish was worth the trip, [...]

By |2023-02-26T08:06:01-05:00February 26th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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The LA-Transplant Gjelina Opens in NoHo, NYC

Gjelina, the LA transplant, has a great vibe that's felt as you walk through the spacious restaurant. It's another location to grab a meal before theatre at The Public if you can get in. By the time you read this, Gjelina may be taking reservations and may open for dinner. As of this writing, it wasn't doing either. Currently, they were only open from 8 am to 2 pm. We arrived at 11:45 for lunch and were seated relatively quickly. The four of us shared their creamy chicken liver mousse topped with lots of caramelized shallots and served with thick slices of square Pullman bread ($15). I recommend it as it [...]

By |2023-02-24T17:31:41-05:00February 24th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|3 Comments
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Cacio e Pepe, Upper East Side, NYC

Years ago, I dined at the original Cacio e Pepe in the East Village on Second Avenue. I can recall the server with his arm hoisting a wheel of cheese over his head as he walked through the dining room to serve their namesake dish. That memory returned when I dined at their Upper East Side location and ordered cacio e pepe during New York Restaurant Week. We dipped the Italian bread into one of their three dips — white bean puree, spicy red pepper sauce and EVOO — while sipping a dirty martini. Oddly the bartender garnished that drink with black, not green, olives. We started by sharing two appetizers from their [...]

By |2024-03-06T17:24:10-05:00February 22nd, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Kimberly Akimbo + A Return to Saar, Midtown West, NYC

If you see only one thing on Broadway, see Kimberly Akimbo, the musical about a 15-year-old with a fictionalized rare disease that ages her four times the normal. The show is Tony-worthy, especially two of the performances. Victoria Clark makes you believe Kimberly is 15 instead of ready for Medicare. Aunt Debra (Bonnie Milligan) stops the show each time she belts her songs. After the show, we walked north a few blocks to Saar Indian Bistro.  The last I'd been was when we welcomed Les Dames d'Escoffier Legacy winner Chef Helen Vass almost five years ago. [Nominations for this year's 2023 LDEI Legacy Awards are open until March 17, 2023. [...]

By |2023-02-24T17:17:31-05:00February 18th, 2023|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rambling, Theatre|0 Comments
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The Norm @ Brooklyn Museum + Thierry Mugler: Couturissime + The London Sunday Times

We booked The Norm—the restaurant in the Brooklyn Museum that relies on local produce to serve global flavors—after attending the Thierry Mugler: Couturissime exhibit. The show is the first U.S. retrospective to explore this French designer's edgy, intriguing universe and his iconic scent Angel inspired by nighttime stars. It's a scent I've been wearing since 2000 when I received a sample at Denise Rich's first fundraiser for "Gabrielle's Angel Foundation." That nonprofit raises funds to fight leukemia, lymphoma and related cancers. It honors the tragically short life of her daughter, actress/writer Gabrielle Rich Aouad, who died from leukemia in 1996 at the tender age of 27. Months afterward, on a flight to Paris, I [...]

By |2023-01-19T16:35:54-05:00February 12th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Other happenings|1 Comment
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Seamore’s @ Urbanspace, Theater District, NYC

My out-of-town cousins were attending a 7 pm performance of Funny Girl a the August Wilson Theatre. With little time to grab a bite, I arranged to meet them at the Urbanspace food hall. Among other restaurants, Urbanspace has a Seamore's that I thought would be quick and good for my pescatarian cousin. I've eaten at Seamore's other locations, enjoying their fresh seafood. The menu is smaller, and the seating area is minimal. I secured one of the two tables! My cousins each had a bowl of their clam chowder, lacking the rich saline clam broth redolent of Cape Cod. They also shared the guac served with chips. I ordered their [...]

By |2023-02-11T19:10:07-05:00February 2nd, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|1 Comment
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Birthday Celebration at Koloman in the Ace Hotel & Nubeluz, NoMad, NYC

Our celebration evening began with drinks at the hot, relatively new rooftop bar in the Ritz Hotel NoMad. Nubeluz is worth visiting, especially with out-of-town visitors. I ordered the Foggy Hill, a mezcal drink I recommend that someone at your table get because of the lemon-thyme aromatic cloud presentation. Others had traditional cocktails. The birthday girl requested caviar bumps (3 grams Kaviari Ossetra, $18 per pump), a trendy new app where you put a tiny mound of caviar on your hand and slurp! Yum. The four of us shared all the apps. Those included sliced, grilled Trumpet mushrooms over crushed potatoes with watercress with a side sauce Vierge ($32) of [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:12:22-04:00January 28th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rooftop|2 Comments
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A Return to Dame, After Stops at Bobo and Cellar Dog, West Village, NYC

Before dinner at Dame, we stopped at Bobo for their oyster happy hour to start our birthday celebration. We smiled as they brought a lemon tart with a lit candle, along with the $1 happy hour oysters (available 5 pm - 7 pm). We had asked for a candle to be added to the oyster platter, perhaps nestled in the ice, for the birthday girl. From there, we stopped at the renamed Cellar Dog for a couple of ping-pong games and laughed lots as our competitive spirits emerged. And then on to the tiny restaurant Dame for dinner. Dame has a limited menu at this British restaurant with unusually sounding [...]

By |2023-01-28T11:11:24-05:00January 17th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Keith McNally Restaurant Group’s Morandi, West Village, NYC

We met in the West Village at one of the Keith McNally Restaurant Group's locations for lunch and catch up. It was my first time at Morandi, not my friend's; it won't be my last as the food and service were both good, just like Minetta Tavern, Balthazar and Pastis! Don't miss the Insalata di Cavolini di Bruxelles, shaved fresh Brussels sprouts, diced apple, bacon bites and grated Parmesan lightly coated in a cider dressing ($21). Our server knew we were sharing everything, so he had the kitchen split the perfectly cooked — al dente — housemade mafalde pasta. Nice touch. It came tossed with sweet sausage chunks, garlicky broccoli rabe [...]

By |2023-01-15T11:49:02-05:00January 12th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Another Holiday Party at Bowery Road, Hyatt Hotel, Village, NYC

My ex.expat group decided to again hold our annual holiday party at Bowery Road in the Hyatt near Union Square. We did so as we were so pleased with our last year's event. This year was just as good! We started with an open bar, offering wine, beer, Prosecco and Aperol spritzers. Apps included their crushed avocado topped with chimichurri, served with seeded corn crackers; roasted beets with citrus supremes and yogurt sprinkled with pumpkin seeds; and burrata with roasted squash and chopped hazelnuts. The staff first served the apps, then placed them on our table for us to enjoy family style as they did our entrees. Our family-style entrees [...]

By |2023-01-15T11:58:40-05:00January 7th, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Sapphire, UWS, NYC + Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man and the Pool

(Sadly, Sapphire just closed on December 31, 2022.) Sapphire Cuisines of India on the Upper West Side is close enough to the Vivian Beaumont Theater to grab a bite before attending a show. We did just that before seeing Mike Birbiglia in his one-man show. My dining partner noticed some small batch bourbons and ordered Old Fashions for us made with Clyde Mays, an Alabama-style whiskey ($18) that we sipped while topping the crispy flatbread papadum with the two sauces. I'd recommend the Lasuni Gobi ($9), their cauliflower florets batter-fried in a garlic sauce and their fried onion fritters ($9) made using a spiced gram flour batter.    Also good [...]

By |2023-01-15T12:02:31-05:00January 3rd, 2023|Big Apple Life, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|4 Comments
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Dame Bonnie Tandy Leblang Collection at The Boyd Hospitality & Culinary Library

(With excerpts from the speech given at the library's opening.) My interest in everything culinary started as soon as I could hold a wooden spoon.   I began collecting food-related stuff early and continued most of my life. That extensive collection included cookbooks, menus, pamphlets, booklets, other food/nutrition-related books – and memorabilia, like the My*T*Fine pudding package sporting an image of Howdy Doody!   I even went the food route with my education, studying and getting degrees in food science and nutrition and becoming a Registered Dietitian. When I was getting ready to sell my cookbook-lined Connecticut home and move to Manhattan, I tried to find a home for my extensive library. Most [...]

By |2023-01-02T14:00:48-05:00December 31st, 2022|Big Apple Life, Bites from the Road, NYC Best Bites, Rambling, USA, USA Restaurants, USA Travel|2 Comments
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Ella Social, Upper West Side, NYC + Historical Society

We're always looking for a restaurant to serve a group of at least twenty of us for lunch after one of our Ex.expats of New York monthly outings. This time it was after curator-led tours at the New-York Historical Society. Dr. Wendy Ikemoto, Senior Curator of American Art, took us through the "Scenes of New York: The Elie and Sarah Hirschfeld Collection," followed by Anna Danziger Halperin, Center for Women's History, tour through "The Salem Witch Trials: Reckoning and Reclaiming." We ended up at Ella Social, with the owner being so accommodating for a prefix 3-course lunch with unlimited tea or regular coffee for $35, including tax and tip. A [...]

By |2022-12-30T16:28:11-05:00December 29th, 2022|Big Apple Life, City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Nubeluz Rooftop Bar in The Ritz, NoMad, NYC

Nubeluz is from the Spanish words for cloud (nube) and light (luz). It's the name of the Ritz-Carlton NoMad's swanky rooftop bar with incredible city views and a unique take on cocktails from José Andrés, who also opened Zaytinya on the ground floor. The bar opened in July at the corner of Broadway and 28th street. Nubelez tries to keep it mysterious. The hostess, dressed in a gold lamè short cocktail dress, will have you wait after you've stopped at the stand to give your name -- even if you have a reservation and the rooftop is not fully committed. It's how they've been trained. Once the hostess decides to [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:03:34-04:00December 23rd, 2022|Big Apple Life, City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rooftop|0 Comments
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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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