Rooftop

Lunch at El Vez and Burrito Bar, Tribeca, NYC

Around the corner from both the Conrad Hotel (with the 16th floor Loopy Doopy Rooftop Bar) and the Irish Hunger Memorial, is El Vez and Burrito Bar, a Mexican restaurant with lots of outdoor space. We weren't there for either, instead, it was because of its proximity to Brookdale Battery Park City home for seniors where my friend's mom lives. We three shared both their nachos and shrimp tacos. The Macho Nacho ($19) consisted of melted queso, black beans, salsa ranchera, sour cream, pickled red onion, jalapeño and chorizo over a layer of fresh tortilla chips. Nicely done. Also good are their shrimp tacos ($17 for three) although not as [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:13:09-04:00September 13th, 2021|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rooftop|0 Comments
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Mission Ceviche, Upper East Side, NYC + Central Park

After a visit to the blooming conservatory gardens, we walked downtown through Central Park, stopping at the Met for a quick trip to the roof to see Alex Da Corte’s Enchanting Commission for the rooftop. He created a kinetic sculpture featuring Sesame Street's Big Bird with an aesthetic of Alexander Calder’s standing mobiles. The installation will be on view through October 31, 2021. We were able to get a reservation for dinner at Mission Ceviche, a Peruvian place on Second and 72 Street at the last minute, although we needed to dine inside. We perused the Pisco-focused cocktail menu as that's the classic white brandy from Peru. My dining mates [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:13:21-04:00May 29th, 2021|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Other happenings, Rooftop|1 Comment
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Rooftop Happy Hour at STK Downtown, Meatpacking District, NYC

Once nice weather hits, rooftop cocktails are de rigueur. That's why we headed over to STK in the meat-packing district for a happy hour drink to celebrate my friend's birthday.  First things first. We ordered our cocktails (regularly $21, hh pricing $11), my friend selected their Spiced Watermelon made with Patrón Silver, St. Germain, watermelon, lime and jalapeño.   I ordered their Not Your Daddy's Old Fashioned made with a hearty pour of Woodford Reserve. The old fashioned has become one of my pandemic go-to cocktails. I'd recommend STKs. My friend ordered their beef tartare ($7) simply served in three crispy wonton-like cups for easy snacking. I tried their sauteed mini-salmon [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:05:23-04:00May 6th, 2021|Big Apple Life, Happy Hours, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Other happenings, Rooftop|0 Comments
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RH Rooftop Restaurants + Return to King Nyani

The giant gorilla Nyani is like a magnet to me. I've been walking the Highline to Hudson Yards to bring friends to see the adorable reclining bronze ape since I first set eyes on him.  Seriously, there's something enticing about him. We stopped there to take photos before walking back south on the Highline to Restoration Hardware where we were eating on the roof. I've been pre-COVID. It's still as exquisite as it was. You feel quite comfy in this well-appointed rooftop space. What I'd expect from Restoration Hardware. Their attentive yet not over-bearing service matches the space. We took our time ordering, yakking and eating while we sipped the [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:05:43-04:00April 30th, 2021|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rooftop|0 Comments
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A Flight at Birreria Rooftop, Flatiron, NYC

After a long walk on one of the first gorgeous spring days, I decided to stop by a rooftop restaurant for a cocktail. I wanted to continue to enjoy the weather.  Figured I'd respond to texts and emails. I ended up at Eataly's open rooftop restaurant Birreria. Great space. None of their cocktails talked to me. I decided to step outside my drinking comfort range to sample their Negroni flight. I say that, as a Negroni was never my drink. I was so glad I did. The Negroni flight ($25) contained three 2-ounce smoked Negronis made from Campari, Carpano Antica Vermouth and Blood Orange, with each one better than I [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:05:53-04:00April 9th, 2021|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Other happenings, Rooftop|0 Comments
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Not Exactly Rooftop Dining at The No Mad, Gramercy-Flatiron, NYC

We chose the rooftop at No Mad wanting to continue to eat outside as we were trying to be careful about COVID. Their so-called roof is not outside; some areas had an opening to the outside, others had plastic covers stopping the flow of air. We sat inside a tent, chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, packed with people. I was uncomfortable in this setting. They do have three small tables that are outside; if you — like me — prefer to dine outside, ask for one of those. Once we ordered, we were served complimentary house-made warm dinner rolls with herbed butter, watermelon & mozzarella salad and marinated tomatoes. Little [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:07:06-04:00November 17th, 2020|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rooftop|0 Comments
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The Public Kitchen at Ian Schrager’s The Public Hotel

After wandering around the shops of SoHo, we headed to the fairly new Ian Schrager hotel, The Public, first for a drink on the rooftop, and then to dinner in the namesake restaurant. Unless you're a millennial who's looking for high-priced, low-alcohol cocktails in a noisy setting with a view, skip it. Instead, head to their Jean-George Vongerichten market-driven restaurant, the Public Kitchen. We sampled much of their interesting menu. For "snacks," we pulled at and nibbled the popcorn-cheddar frico sprinkled with crushed chili ($10) and the burrata with sliced plums, peaches and nectarines with teeny balls of crystallized wasabi ($23). I loved the unusually delicious appetizer of sugar snap [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:13:29-04:00September 9th, 2019|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rooftop|0 Comments
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RH Rooftop Restaurant, Meatpacking District, NYC + Andy Warhol Exhibit at The Whitney

Chicago restaurateur Brendan Sodikoff (Au Cheval) opened this stylish restaurant in September on the rooftop of the Restoration Hardware in the Meatpacking District. RH sports crystal chandeliers, marble tabletops plus glass walls providing views of the surrounding skyline. Once the weather warms up, I'll go back for sure to dine or just have a glass of wine on the outdoor terrace that wraps around the restaurant. I had tried to get into RH once before but the wait was too long. Right now, they do not take reservations. This time we went on the early side of lunch — 11 am — before heading to The Whitney to see the [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:07:46-04:00January 26th, 2019|Big Apple Life, Other happenings, Rooftop|0 Comments
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Shackleton Cocktail from Arlo Hotel: 88 Degrees South

"As the story goes, Sir Ernest Shackleton took cases of Mackinlay's Old Rare on his 1907 expedition to the British Antarctic. He later had to abandon the ship to save himself and his crew. That same whisky was found trapped under the ice 100 years later and recreated to become Shackleton Whisky. Named after one of the 20th century's most charismatic leaders, Shackleton Whisky embodies the spirit of a legend." With that introduction, I was invited to the Arlo NoMad (11 E 31st St) for cocktails and a sneak peek of the warmed "ice huts" sitting on the rooftop terrace 31 stories up, practically under the Empire State Building. At [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:14:01-04:00November 30th, 2018|Recipes, Rooftop, Starters|1 Comment
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Happy Hour at Landmarc, Time Warner Center, NYC + Javits Rooftop

Gotta love when cocktails and nibbles are reasonably priced, at least for NYC. After a visit with some friends to the gardens on the rooftop of the Javits center, we headed uptown for a drink.  Yes! there are 6.75-acre acres of green succulent plants atop the convention center, replete with 26 bird species, five bat species and honey-making bees- and they provide free tours. We toured as part of our Untapped Cities $10 a month membership. Noticing  Landmarc's happy hour, I ordered their Moscow mule made with Stoli, ginger beer and lime ($10), while my friends ordered the margarita grilled pizza ($10) from the bar bites menu.  The drink served in the [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:08:01-04:00November 4th, 2018|Big Apple Life, Happy Hours, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rooftop|0 Comments
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Ophelia Lounge, Beekman, NYC

The newly renovated rooftop lounge at the Beekman Tower is now open sporting breathtaking East River views along with high-end cocktails and nibbles.  The lounge, originally built in the 1920's, includes dark velvet banquettes backed by big windows for city viewing. We stopped by for a drink after partaking in an hour tour of Carnegie Hall ($17 for adults; $12 seniors) with a friendly and knowledgeable tour guide, who shared more than 125 years of Carnegie Hall history. The excursion to see the impressive concert hall is worth the time. I tried their Ophelia’s ascension ($16) made with smoked Jamaican pepper infused Del Maguey Vida mezcal, Makers Mark, sweetener and bitters attractively served [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:14:10-04:00July 24th, 2018|Big Apple Life, Rambling, Rooftop|0 Comments
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Brunch Gallow Green at McKittrick Hotel, Chelsea, NYC

Gallow Green again morphed, turning the cozy mountainside Lodge from the winter into a rooftop oasis atop the McKittrick hotel where they're now serving brunch ($35 a person). Personally, I prefer being served to buffets. But I overlooked that on a beautiful Sunday at this outdoor train station-like setting, nestled among greenery with live music by MK Groove. Making four trips to the buffet, I tried about everything. Glutton I'm not. Seriously, as their guest, it's my duty to sample as much as possible. My first trip to their food offerings was my favorite of the day. I tried many of their interesting grain and green salads that included heirloom cherry tomatoes with [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:14:19-04:00June 21st, 2018|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rooftop|0 Comments
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Sabbia a Rooftop Pop-up at Eataly, Flatiron, NYC

Sabbia, which I learned means sand, is a pop-up Italian seaside (actually rooftop) restaurant at Birreria on the top of Eataly. We lucked out and were seated in one of the secluded (quiet) cabanas. With the roof open, the blue sky and top of the Flatiron building statues were visible. We indulged in their two items from their bruschetta bar, one of their two pasta dishes (after all it is Eataly) and one rosés from their special menu featuring more than 50 producers of that type of wine that incorporates some of the color from the grape skins. For bruscetta, we chose the Liguria with chopped marinated artichokes a top [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:08:15-04:00August 21st, 2017|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rooftop|0 Comments
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Green Fig, YOTEL New York at Times Square West, NYC

The YOTEL's restaurant keeps changing. Last I stopped by (other than for the Rooftop Cinema Club) is was East & West at Club Lounge. This time it was the Green Fig, modern Israeli cuisine with Mediterranean influence. We stopped in for a bite on our way to Playwright's Horizon to see Bella: An American Tall Tale, a delightful (but way too long) black western musical. We started with their mezze ($16), meant to be shared. The huge za’atar pita came with six filled bowls of fresh good tasting dips/spreads: Hummus, tahini, charred eggplant, thickened yogurt (labne), sauteed tomatoes (oddly, at least to me) and pickled peppers, carrots, cauliflower and celery. [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:14:59-04:00July 19th, 2017|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rooftop|0 Comments
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La Guarida, Havana, Cuba

Most everyone I spoke to who had been to Havana recently recommended the upscale paladar La Guarida for dinner — the place where Cuban director Tomás Gutiérrez Alea filmed Strawberry & Chocolate. It's one of the few places offering elegantly served quality food; we learned they send their chef to France to learn to cook. We walked up the crumbling grand staircase to the restaurant above and — since it was raining —  skipped the new rooftop bar. Our starters from the varied menu included thin slices of fresh snapper carpaccio with a pepper sauce and citrus vinaigrette ($8), an unusual seafood "lasagna"with "noodles" of thinly sliced papaya garnished with [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:15:37-04:00April 25th, 2017|Bites from the Road, Rooftop, World, World Restaurants, World Travel|4 Comments
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Juliette Restaurant, Williamsburg, Brooklyn

When a friend came in from Connecticut to visit one beautiful spring day, we decided to walk to and from Brooklyn across the Williamsburg Bridge. Since I like to have an end spot in mind, we chose Juliette roof top restaurant not far from Bedford Avenue as our destination. From what I had read, Juliette served French bistro fare with an option to dine on an open air roof. After ordering our libation — we were on a Long Island iced tea kick that weekend ($14) — we perused their menu looking for something lite to go with that. Their lunch specials included the delicious sounding slow-cooked octopus "Oaxacan" style [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:15:54-04:00July 9th, 2016|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rooftop|0 Comments
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Monarch Rooftop Lounge, Midtown West, NYC

What better way to spend a temperate fall evening than rooftop in Manhattan with views of the Empire State building and skyline, as the lounge's guest sampling their new cocktails and autumn offerings. We sampled ($14) cocktails including the unusual tomato-basil martini (Absolut, cherry tomato, Thai basil, fresh lemon, dash of Tabasco ), peppered in pink (Organic Crop cucumber vodka, Thai basil & black pepper, fresh grapefruit, lemon, orange bitters, pink peppercorns) and the blood & fire (Patron Reposado tequila, Cointreau, blood orange, rosemary, fresh lime, chipotle & salt rim).  I liked the tomato-basil martini best. With those libations we tried their crispy fried shrimp dumplings with a too salty [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:08:27-04:00November 4th, 2015|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rooftop|0 Comments
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Cloud Social Rooftop Bar, Korea Town, NYC

Most of the rooftop bars I sampled around Manhattan this summer have emptied my wallet. Seriously where else would you fork over $45 for 2 glasses of rosè? I knew there had to be a reasonably priced one around town. Cloud Social on the 17th floor of the New York Manhattan Hotel (nyma) is it. You see they have a happy hour every day from 3 to 7 pm, with well drinks and house wine $6!! I recommend skipping the wine: My glass of Cabernet Sauvignon was so warm from the heat, it was like drinking glögg. Opt for a mixed drink for sure! Or splurge on a call mixed drink [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:08:41-04:00August 12th, 2015|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rooftop|0 Comments
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Up On 20, Hyatt Herald Square, NYC

I've been frequenting rooftop bars around town since the weather warmed up. They're perfect on balmy summer nights, but I only stay for a drink as cocktails are pretty pricey at all — even for NYC. Up On 20 is no exception. I was invited to the newly opened rooftop bar at the Hyatt Herald Square where I dined early this year at The Den. We started with the nicely balanced and not too sweet Newton's Apple ($18), made with Knob Creek Bourbon, Elderflower Liquor and lime garnished with Granny Smith apple peel. What were really good for nibbles were the two from the oven warm, sea salt coated pretzel sticks [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:16:06-04:00July 12th, 2015|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rooftop|0 Comments
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Loopy Doopy Rooftop Bar, Conrad Hotel, Tribeca, NYC

Head downtown to Loopy Doopy Rooftop Bar on the 16th floor of the Contrad Hotel in Tribeca on the next balmy evening for stunning views of Statue of Liberty & the Hudson River and fun libations. Or have front row seats to the Jersey City Freedom and Fireworks Festival on Friday, July 4th! Loopy Doopy (named after Sol LeWitt's mural in the atrium) serves Prosecco on tap and offers an unusual variation with a “Prosecco & Ice Pop” cocktail – an alcohol-infused frozen concoction served in that glass of Prosecco. Combinations include Blueberry Peach with St. Germaine liquor, Yellow Plum-Mint with 10 Cane rum, Peach Vanilla with Widow Jane bourbon, [...]

By |2024-07-21T11:08:55-04:00June 30th, 2014|NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rooftop|0 Comments
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