City Bites

The best City Bites from New York

Toloache, Midtown, NYC + Enemy of the People

I hadn't been back to Toloache since it reopened after the pandemic. Like many other restaurants, their website prices are lower than you'll pay. We started with their yummy guac ($16) with the accompanying salsa ($2 for extra) and chips. Delicious with their Cadillac Margie—the Oro Blanco ($18), made with Espolon reposado and Cointreau. Our dishes included their Ensalada de Jicama ($13), which included jicama, radishes, mixed greens, avocado, orange, almonds, and a tamarind vinaigrette, along with grilled chicken (+$8);  the enchiladas borrachas ($26) of pulled chicken, tomatillo-5 chiles salsa, Mexican cheeses, crema and an avocado-radish salad and the Quesadilla de Camaron ($17) with mini shrimp atop a tortilla with [...]

By |2024-03-23T10:31:05-04:00April 19th, 2024|Big Apple Life, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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Haven Rooftop, Midtown, NYC + Prayer for French Republic

Haven Rooftop, atop the Sanctuary Hotel, is in the heart of the theatre district, making it a good spot for pre-theatre brunch. We stopped in before heading west on 47th to see the final performance of Prayer for the French Republic. We started brunch with mimosas ($13) and a virgin bloody mary ($12). Yet instead of egg options, two of us chose their lobster roll served with fries ($30), another their perfectly sliced heavenly chicken in a beurre blanc sauce with mesclun salad and fries ($28). Food was good, as always. As the play began, we realized we had seen it before. My memory isn't that good, but my computer [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:02:25-04:00April 11th, 2024|NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rooftop, Theatre|0 Comments
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Brunch at Sesamo, Hell’s Kitchen, NYC + White Chip

We returned to Sesamo for brunch before heading to MCC to see White Chip, a play with a stellar lineup of producers, including Jason Biggs, John Larroquette, Hank Azaria, and Annaleigh Ashford—the wife of Joe Tapper, who plays Steven, the lead. The play takes its name from the Alcoholics Anonymous sobriety-chip system; each of the many times Steven — the main character — resolves to stop drinking, he gets a white chip. He has a bowlful. For brunch, I started with a bloody Mary ($15), followed by Shakshuka, as I had to have it again as it was so good last time. Not this time. It was way overcooked, even [...]

By |2024-04-07T16:49:59-04:00April 7th, 2024|Big Apple Life, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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KFC’s Chizza Pop-Up

My friend—an editor of a restaurant trade publication—invited me to sample KFC's Chizza with her on the day in February when the restaurant had transformed the store into a pop-up, serving the new menu item for free. Yes, free. There were lines around the block for the just introduced Chizza: two 100% white meat extra crisp fried chicken filets topped with marinara sauce, melty mozzarella cheese and crispy pepperoni.  Skeptical me. I was surprised at how moist, tender and tasty the fried chicken fillet topped with marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni was. One fillet pizza costs $5.99; two fillets are $12.99, and the combo with a two-fillet one, French [...]

By |2024-04-24T19:01:12-04:00April 2nd, 2024|Big Apple Life, City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Australian Fare at Isla & Co, Midtown, NYC

Inside the Hotel Hendricks on West 38th Street near Bryant Park is a friendly little Australian brasserie where I recently met a friend for brunch. Once seated, we noticed many tables with flights of espresso martinis ($25). Interesting, I thought until I saw the menu and noticed that each mini martini contained a different alcohol: one tequila, Australian whiskey, and the third dark rum.  I'll leave that to the youngins. I ordered their traditional one ($15) instead, made with vodka, Mr. black coffee liqueur, and house-roasted espresso, and my dining partner a glass of prosecco. We decided to share two entrees, asking our server to bring them one at a [...]

By |2024-04-07T16:36:15-04:00March 26th, 2024|City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Empire Rooftop, Lincoln Square, NYC + The Gardens of Anuncia

After seeing the closing performance of The Gardens of Anuncia at Lincoln Center Theatre, we headed across the street to the rooftop of the Empire Hotel that overlooks the Lincoln Center complex for a cocktail, something to eat and the stunning view. One friend sampled their tequila and grapefruit juice Paloma, another their XOXO Gossip Girl with vodka and peach puree made bubbly with prosecco, and I sipped their trendy Old Fashioned ($20 each) with smoke added tableside (each $20). With those libations, we tried their Koreatown (aka nicely spicy) very meaty chicken wings ($20), their crisp bistro fries ($14) and their grilled lollipop lamb chops ($39), cooked medium-rare as [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:02:40-04:00February 11th, 2024|Big Apple Life, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rooftop, Theatre|2 Comments
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A Le Bernardin Revisit, Midtown, NYC

Le Bernardin always pleases. If you are unfamiliar, Eric Ripert's Le Bernardin has received 4-star reviews from the New York Times and has held that rating—the Times’s highest—since it opened in 1986. It as had Michelin's highest rating, three stars. We chose our cocktails after chatting with Brandon, our fabulous server and bartender. I had the 51st Street Manhattan made with Michter's rye, dry vermouth, Amaro Averna, Bénédictine and Angostura bitters ($27) and my dining partner, whose belated birthday we were celebrating, had the Caspian Moon made with saffron-included Blue gin, vermouth, cardamom bitters and rose water ($22). Our first item from their lounge menu was the plentiful rillette made [...]

By |2024-02-09T10:26:24-05:00February 4th, 2024|City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Worthwild, Chelsea, NYC + Momix at The Joyce

A large group of us met at Worthwild, a pub on Ninth Avenue and 20th Street because of its proximity to The Joyce, where we were off to see the amazing MoMix dancers. Our friends had been a few times before and decided the best way to dine was to share a few appetizers and cocktails. We sampled their garlicky shrimp with polenta & harissa ($24 for four shrimp); their burrata with green harissa and crisp naan ($22); the grilled wild greens with pine nuts ($27), four large scallops with pesto and pickled cauliflower ($25) and, my favorite, the the grilled octopus with smoked potatoes with sliced Spanish olives. Worthwild [...]

By |2023-12-25T08:25:39-05:00February 1st, 2024|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Other, Theatre|0 Comments
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Le Rock, Rockefeller Center, NYC

None of us had been to The Rock before. It’s a fairly new brasserie from the owners of Frenchette located in Rockefeller Plaza with views of the Christmas tree, which will be there until January 13. We decide to order and sample many dishes, beginning with their bread service with a choice of spreads ($9 each) we chose the cervelle de canut ($8), an herbed cheese spread, and the chicken liver pate. I recommend the latter. Next we tried their barbadians, ($13 for 5) bite-sized pastry this evening filled with pumpkin purée and their garlicky escargot bourguignons ($26 for 5) topped with toast round to sop up the garlic butter, [...]

By |2023-12-18T12:22:25-05:00January 18th, 2024|Big Apple Life, City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Brunch at Electric Lemon, Hudson Yards, NYC + Here We Are

I've been recommending Electric Lemon on the 24th floor of the Equinox Hotel since my first visit, tasting their chilled deviled crab in creamy ginger dressing with crunchy celery sprinkled with ginger crumbs. Yes, that good. We stopped for brunch before heading to The Shed to see Steven Sondheim's — the legendary composer and lyricist — Here We Are,  his final musical. He died while writing it. The first act is a musical, the second more of a play. We commended our brunch with cocktails. Three of us tried the Bloody Mary, and one a "from the garden ($20) with herb-infused Hendricks gin, snow pea, celery, cucumber and shiso. We [...]

By |2024-03-19T14:22:09-04:00January 14th, 2024|Big Apple Life, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|2 Comments
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Tavern on the Green, Central Park, UWS, NYC

Our annual tradition as the holidays commence is to meet at a classic New York institution for our seasonal luncheon. This time, we booked the iconic Tavern on the Green, surrounded by tourists as it was at Rolf's. We each began with a glass of Rose Côtes de Provence VieVité, 2020 ($64) while taking in the views and perusing the menu. We shared their fresh burrata with intensely flavored fire-roasted grape tomatoes ($24). Worth it.  One in our group ordered the chopped veggie salad ($24) with haricots verts, radish, jicama, asparagus, butternut squash, tomatoes, corn, fingerling potatoes, avocado, carrots and Bermuda onion topped with ($10) perfectly cooked salmon. After seeing [...]

By |2024-01-15T12:20:32-05:00January 11th, 2024|City Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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NEW! Clara, New York Historical Society, Upper West Side, NYC

After visiting some exhibits at the New York Historical Society, we headed to Clara, their new sustainably focused restaurant from the Oberon Group (Rhodera, Rucola and June Bar). The restaurant is named in honor of Clara Driscoll, who designed many iconic lamps in the museum's Gallery of Tiffany Lamps, with some of them adoring the restaurant's shelves. Clara's offered Chef Diego Moya's contemporary takes on various dishes. We shared their fried Brussels sprouts in a puddle of apple-vinegar white bean purée ($18) and the hearty wild mushroom trofie — short, thin, twisted pasta from Liguria — garnished with lots of toasted hazelnuts ($29). I recommend a visit to both Clara [...]

By |2024-01-14T13:44:56-05:00January 8th, 2024|Big Apple Life, City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Il Buco, NoHo, NYC + Wick and Pour

Wick and Pour, a candle-making experience on Mott Street, was our first stop at the birthday celebration. We selected the vessel and wax color, chose an aroma blend, and then made our candle garnished—in the wax—with dried flowers. That candle experience took about 2 hours, with downtime to chat. From there, we walked north, proudly carrying out finished candles, to Il Buco, the first in the Il Buco family. On NoHo's cobblestoned Bond Street, the restaurant opened in 1994 as an antique store and transformed into a restaurant serving a seasonally inspired Italian-Mediterranean menu that changes daily. We sipped our Pegaso Zeta Viñas Viejas Garnacha ($17), seated in the back [...]

By |2024-01-03T14:55:05-05:00January 2nd, 2024|Big Apple Life, City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Other happenings|0 Comments
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The Greek Periyali, Gramercy-Flatiron, NYC + ChefWise by Shari Bayer

We met our friend, Shari Bayer, the publicist for Periyali, at the restaurant to discuss her new book, ChefWise, and sample their fare. Our host greeted me upon arrival and welcomed me to Greece, jesting, "No passport needed." Mak, our waiter, also welcomed us, sharing that he had been with Periyali since they opened on December 21, 1987. He recalled the exact date because it is his birthday. I sampled their El Grego ($22), a blend of bourbon, Amaro Nonino liqueur, spiced honey and bitters. With my cocktail, we started nibbling their five mezze offerings, which are always yummy. These included their taramosalata (a fish roe spread with olive oil and [...]

By |2023-12-17T10:35:54-05:00December 16th, 2023|City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Of Interest, Products|0 Comments
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Jose Andres’ The Bazaar, Ritz Hotel, NoMAD, NYC

I had been to Jose Andres' Zaytinya, also in the Ritz Hotel, a couple times, but this was my first The Bazaar experience. The three of us met to celebrate our birthdays together. Two of us had one in June, the other in October. I started with their Leatherette ($22), a blend of Torres 20-yr brandy, rye whiskey, east India sherry, sweet vermouth, and lavender bitters garnished with a fresh lavender bud.  One other friend had a glass of crisp Godello ($18), Rafael Palacios Louro, Valderorras, Spain 2022; the other with Touriga Nacional Tinta Roriz, Carlos Paposo Ideal, Dão, Portugal ($19). Our first courses arrived almost at once with our drinks. [...]

By |2023-12-17T09:32:43-05:00December 13th, 2023|City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|2 Comments
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Happy Hour *½ at Dock’s Oyster Bar, Midtown East, NYC + Gutenbert, the Musical

We laughed our way through Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad in the hilarious and unusual “Gutenberg! The Musical!" These two reunited on stage for the first time since 2011 when they performed in “The Book of Mormon." I do recommend seeing it before it closes in January. Afterward, we walked across and downtown to Docks Oyster Bar on Third and 40th to sample their happy hour. We were lucky to get one of the few tables by the bar where we could take part in their HH offerings. The best parts were they had a live trio, and we could converse without straining. I started with their Old Fashioned ($18), [...]

By |2023-12-17T09:38:09-05:00December 11th, 2023|Big Apple Life, Happy Hours, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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Marcus Samuelson’s Hav & Mar Seafood Restaurant, Chelsea, NYC

I started writing this post while nibbling Hav and Mar's teff biscuit and blue cornbread spread from last night's dinner. I had warmed and spread it with the honey butter our incredible server, Don, gave us to pack with our leftover bread. Be sure to get the addictive bread basket, but do not finish it, or you won't have room for the food to come. But I'm getting way ahead of myself. My friends who live in Chelsea have been raving about Marcus Samuelson's newest place, Hav & Mar, since it opened. Pete Wells (New York Times) already gave it two stars. Hav in Swedish means sea; Mar is Ethiopian [...]

By |2024-03-28T13:59:32-04:00November 29th, 2023|Big Apple Life, City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Rosie’s *** Happy Hour, East Village, NYC + Solo

I love New York! Where else can you see a show and have dinner for about $50? We headed downtown to the East Village to the Connelly Theatre to see Gabe Mollica in Solo, his acclaimed one-man play about friendship, following sold-out runs at the Soho Playhouse and Edinburgh Fringe. We purchased the tickets for $4.95 from Theater Extras. We stopped at the Lower East Side Mexican restaurant Rosie's from the owners of Cookshop, Shukette and Vics. Lucky us, it was during their happy hour. We started with their margaritas. I had the chile-infused tequila picante one, my dining partner the "classic." Whenever a server stopped at our table wearing [...]

By |2023-11-07T12:41:14-05:00November 25th, 2023|Big Apple Life, Happy Hours, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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Cafe Luce, Midtown East, NYC

I tripped over Cafe Luce when looking for someplace to meet a friend passing through town. She was traveling from Cape Cod to Florida and staying on Sutton Place. With a limited amount of time, the midtown location was necessary. Cafe Luce is a small Italian cafe on East 53. The owner, Michelle, opened the smaller space during COVID, according to her brother Joseph, our server. When next door became available, she purchased it, doubling the space. Don't miss their perfectly prepared octopus tentacle ($21) — tender, charred and moist — with a small roasted red pepper and lettuce salad. I'd return just for that. It paired well with a [...]

By |2023-10-25T13:57:28-04:00November 23rd, 2023|City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Happy Hour ** at Osteria Morini, Soho, NYC

Osteria Morini, a part of the Altamarea Group (Ai Fiori, Marea), offers the spirit of Emilia-Romagna in SoHo. They also offer a happy hour. I convinced some building mates to join me to sample it. We sat at one of the hightops in the bar area, where the HH offerings are available. We sampled some of their HH cocktails, including the Aperol Spritz  ($10), Abby's Cosmo ($10) and a Cadillac Margarita ($15). The deal of the meal is their "Burger from Akron" ($13). The tasty double cheeseburger with BBQ sauce and tartar sauce would have been even more perfect had they offered fries. We also sampled some of their fried offerings, [...]

By |2023-11-17T06:50:50-05:00November 17th, 2023|Big Apple Life, City Bites, Happy Hours, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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