City Bites

The best City Bites from New York

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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A Return to Hearth for a Birthday, Lower East Side, NYC

I returned to Hearth on the Lower East Side to celebrate my friend’s birthday. I chose it not only for its good food but for the moderate sound level of the dining room. I wanted to be able to hear her without straining. I started with their Vieux Carré ($22) with Whistlepig 10-year rye, Dudognon aged cognac and a splash of Benedictine. I liked the combination. My birthday friend sipped the Chablis Courtauld-Michelet, 2021, Burgundy, France ($22). We nibbled their cecina with our drinks, a chickpea flour pancake topped with olive tapenade ($9). I recommend. She had been to Hearth before and yearned for their bun-less burger made from grass-fed [...]

By |2023-11-19T07:44:36-05:00November 11th, 2023|Big Apple Life, City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Tyron Public House Happy Hour* , Washington Heights, NYC + The Cloisters

We traveled to the Middle Ages with my ex.expat group when we visited the Cloisters with historical tour guide extraordinaire Kevin Draper. We learned a lot about architecture, discovering that many of the old-looking structures throughout the museum are new, just made to look old. A few of us wanted to hang out to chat, so we headed down the hill from the Cloisters toward the Dykeman subway stop to grab a bite and drink. Doing so, we hit the Tyron Public House's happy hour. We chose some beverages from the HH menu, including the French Pool Boy rose ($12), the Krasno Sauvignonasse ($13), the Allagash white ($9) and their lager [...]

By |2023-10-23T10:11:37-04:00November 9th, 2023|Big Apple Life, City Bites, Happy Hours, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Other happenings|0 Comments
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The Javelina, Union Square/Gramercy, NYC + Comedy at The Stand

My friends had signed up for a Shearwater Classic Schooner sunset cruise, giving them enough time to make our 8:15 reservations at Javelina, a casual Mexican restaurant on 18th near the The Stand comedy club. The cruise line chose to wait for a party of three who were late for the sail, then tacked on additional time to make up for it, making my friends very late for our res. When I explained the boat situation to the host, he said he'd happily seat me at my table as it was ready for us. While waiting, I sipped a green salt-rimmed rocks jalapeno margarita ($14)  while nibbling the fresh, warm [...]

By |2023-11-03T09:35:34-04:00October 26th, 2023|City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Breakfast at the Standard Grill, Meatpacking District, NYC

We had the best intentions of having an extra-special New York breakfast with a friend who brought her almost 8-year-old granddaughter to the city for a birthday weekend. We tried to book breakfast at Tiffany's, Tavern on the Green and more. My friend settled on a brunch cruise, yet when she arrived dockside to board, she realized the yacht docked too late for them to catch Aladdin's curtain. We walked from Pier 62 to Little Island, then to the Standard Grill in The Standard, High Line hotel for breakfast outside as the weather was conducive. My friend had the Standard Omelet ($16) filled with mushrooms, spinach and Boursin cheese and [...]

By |2023-10-09T12:35:14-04:00October 22nd, 2023|Big Apple Life, City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Trattoria Bianca, New Yorker Hotel + Bruce Springsteen

Trattoria Bianca in the New Yorker Hotel on Eighth Avenue and 35th Steet was an ideal place to grab a bite before jumping on NJ Transit to head to the Met Life (former Meadowlands) Stadium to see Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band on their 2023 international tour. We started with drinks — Aperol spritz ($14) and Dolcetto D'Alba ($14) — and their thin-crust classic Margherita pizza ($23) that needed more time in the oven. Everything else we ordered arrived at the table simultaneously, even though we had asked them to pace it. One friend enjoyed the seared tuna salad with mesclun, cherry tomatoes, green beans, egg, olives, anchovies and [...]

By |2023-09-20T18:06:33-04:00October 7th, 2023|Big Apple Life, City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, WOW|0 Comments
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Breakfast At Ruby’s, Murray Hill NYC

Ruby's Cafe in Murray Hill was about halfway between our homes. We both walked to meet each other for breakfast at this Australian cafe. We started with flat whites, mine with cream, my dining partner with milk. A flat white — espresso with a thin, flat layer of foam — is stronger than a latte as there's less milk. I recommend. Instead of my usual egg breakfast, I tried their interesting-sounding smashed sweet corn fritters with a dollop of sweet corn mascarpone ($15) accompanied by bacon and a salad with lots of avocado chunks. Sadly, the salad was undressed, the fritters undercooked.  My poached egg (+$3.50) was the best part, [...]

By |2023-09-20T18:02:50-04:00October 5th, 2023|City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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City Winery, Hudson River Park, NYC

Walking Hudson River Park, the Nation's Longest Riverfront Park, is a favorite of my pastimes. If you haven't done so, the park begins on Chambers Street and goes to 59th, with Little Island and many interesting updated piers and activities along the way. We stopped at City Winery for a nibble and a glass of wine on a recent walk. We shared their Kung Pao cauliflower ($15) with Fresno chilies, scallions and crushed peanuts with a glass of the velvety and soft Malbec, Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina '19 (5.5-ounce, $14). I do recommend. City Winery Hudson River Park 25 11th Ave at Hudson River Park New York, NY 10011 [...]

By |2023-09-20T16:55:50-04:00September 29th, 2023|Big Apple Life, City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Early Weekend Breakfast at Madison & Vine, Midtown, NYC

Madison & Vine was one of the only restaurants I could find near Grand Central Terminal that served Saturday breakfast before 8 a.m. Lucky me as I met my son coming off a red-eye before he caught his train. We yacked for hours. Having their New York Breakfast for $25 made sense, especially when entrees costs between $19 - $26, Illy coffee, $4.50 and freshly squeezed orange juice, $5. My son had the spinach, mushroom and goat cheese omelet with home fries and grilled ciabatta bread; I had the shakshuka, a North African dish. The kitchen served my poached eggs with many lamb sausage pieces floating in the spicy tomato [...]

By |2023-09-20T16:53:49-04:00September 27th, 2023|Big Apple Life, City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Happy Hour *½ Iris, Midtown, NYC

In continuing my Happy Hour hunt around the city, I met a friend at John Fraser's Iris midtown. [Please let us know if you have a Happy Hour for us to try and review!] We opted for everything on the limited menu besides fresh oysters (Mystic oysters, pink peppercorn mignonette, horseradish; 4 for $14) with a glass of the Greek white offered, Assyrtiko, Peloponnese, Greece 2020 ($12) We started with pikilia, a plate filled with small portions of tzatziki (garlicky cucumber yogurt), roasted eggplant, hummus and whipped feta with a puffed warm pita and endive leaves ($18) plus their spiced lamb flatbread ($10) that's always good. The other two options [...]

By |2023-09-24T11:14:29-04:00September 23rd, 2023|City Bites, Happy Hours, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Return to The Lightship Frying Pan, Chelsea, NYC

The Frying pan is one of my favorite summertime spots to dine on the water. It is distinguished by a big black iron skillet near the entrance, off West 26th Street. This historic barge, docked in the Hudson River, is a former Lackawanna railroad flatboat, now a fun restaurant. I like going late afternoon or very early evening, as later it can become like a frat party toward the back of the barge. A group of us grabbed a meal there recently, trying foods I had yet to sample. I'd recommend their hearty portion of beer-battered cod sprinkled with malt vinegar powder with tartar sauce, coleslaw and their yummy fries [...]

By |2023-09-08T23:24:45-04:00September 7th, 2023|Big Apple Life, City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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P.J. Clarke, Brookfield Place, NYC + Barbie

Like millions of others, I decided to see Margo Robbie and Ryan Gosling in the blockbuster that put Greta Gerwig on the books as the first film directed solely by a woman to cross $1 billion in global box office sales. Barbie's existential crisis is fun and thought-provoking! I do recommend seeing it. After the movie, we headed to P.J. Clarke's On the Hudson to sit outside Brookfield Place by the Hudson, watching the ships go by, with the Statue of Liberty in the background. While deciding what to have, we nibbled on their crispy onion strings with a Dijon aioli ($10). One of my friends had the lemon chicken [...]

By |2023-09-08T23:32:34-04:00September 5th, 2023|City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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2023 US Open Food Tasting Preview

With expansive dining options across the grounds of The US Open Tennis Championships at Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, visitors can eat well. Last week, I sampled this year's offering at an inaugural Flavors of the Open event at ACES with a tasting of the great food and signature drinks from top celebrity chef partners offering their fare during the open. Some chefs like Pat LaFrieda, David Burke, Ed Brown, Masaharu Morimoto, Josh Capon and Alex Guarnaschelli have been partners for years. Joining them this year are Kwame Onwuachi (Tatiana), Melba Silson (Melbas) and James Kent (Crown Shy), among others. Some goodies we sampled included Melba’s Spring Rolls  (peas [...]

By |2023-09-08T23:35:38-04:00August 29th, 2023|Big Apple Life, City Bites, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Seamore’s, Chelsea & Brookfield Place, NYC + Philobulus at The Joyce

Odd, I know,  to dine at a Seamore's twice in two days, but I did. The first time was downtown in Brookfield Place after the Les Dames d'Escoffier scholarship event at the Institute for Culinary Education. It's our annual event to honor our recipients. Since 1977, we — Les Dames d'Escoffier New York — have awarded more than $2 million in scholarships to help advance female professionals in our industry. A few of us grabbed a bite afterward, with Seamore's being the only place able to accommodate our group at their flagship largest location. Their oysters ($18 for 6) and the lobster roll are fresh ($34). You can get the roll [...]

By |2023-08-24T08:32:11-04:00August 24th, 2023|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|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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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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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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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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Serafina In the Sky / Pod Hotel, Hell’s Kitchen, NYC + Wet Brain

I'm always looking for rooftop spaces for grabbing a bite before theatre. Serafina in the Sky/Pod Hotel is perfect before heading further west on 42nd Street to shows at Playwrights Horizon, Signature Theatre or Theatre Row. I sipped an Aperol Spritz ($15) while perusing the many Italian specialties on their menu. I had read that the owners — Vittorio Assaf and Fabio Granato — had been lost at sea when they promised to open a restaurant together if they survived. Today, Serafina has locations across three continents with dozens of restaurants in the U.S. I decided on their eggplant parmigiana — baked eggplant with fior di latte mozzarella, tomato sauce [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:12:11-04:00July 1st, 2023|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rooftop, Theatre|0 Comments
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Aria Hell’s Kitchen, NYC + Summer 1976

It was my first night out since my rotator cuff surgery. We met for a bite at Aria's wine bar in Hell's Kitchen before heading to the Samuel Friedman Theatre to see Summer 1976, a new play by Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Auburn (Proof). The show starred Laura Linney and Tony nominee Jessica Hect in an insightful story about two women who befriended one summer. Summer 1976. Worth seeing. Telka, our server, handed us a wine chalkboard, told us the night's specials and pointed to the paper menu at each place. We chose a bottle of Montepulciano from their generic list of grape varieties. The Montepulciano  2017, Podere Castorani d'Abruzzo [...]

By |2023-06-19T21:30:01-04:00June 12th, 2023|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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