::PepperBlog::
________________________________
Carrera
Located on 2nd Avenue and 12th Street this tiny tapas place packs a lot of punch. Grab a seat at the bar and settle in for a night of snacking and sipping. Start off with a carafe of the sweet pulpy sangria to get you in the mood for fun. Order your food right away as the one man tapas machine in the small open kitchen gets pretty busy. Don't miss the chorizo bocadillo (served as a sandwich on a mini baguette) and the tuna melt bocadillo topped with manchego cheese. Then indulge in the extensive collection of tasty wines. We whetted our pallette with the inexpensive "con class" with a clean and crisp flavor. Then work your way around the menu with the help of the friendly bartender. By 7pm the bar will be fully packed so sit back and enjoy the warm, loud buzz and friendly vibe. And in case you get tired of the spanish theme, you can go to their sister bar Veloce (located right next door) for a little taste of Italy. Bon Apetito and yum!
Located on 2nd Avenue and 12th Street this tiny tapas place packs a lot of punch. Grab a seat at the bar and settle in for a night of snacking and sipping. Start off with a carafe of the sweet pulpy sangria to get you in the mood for fun. Order your food right away as the one man tapas machine in the small open kitchen gets pretty busy. Don't miss the chorizo bocadillo (served as a sandwich on a mini baguette) and the tuna melt bocadillo topped with manchego cheese. Then indulge in the extensive collection of tasty wines. We whetted our pallette with the inexpensive "con class" with a clean and crisp flavor. Then work your way around the menu with the help of the friendly bartender. By 7pm the bar will be fully packed so sit back and enjoy the warm, loud buzz and friendly vibe. And in case you get tired of the spanish theme, you can go to their sister bar Veloce (located right next door) for a little taste of Italy. Bon Apetito and yum!
Shades of Green
This is a submission by Kyle - my friend who has been part of my "drink and dine practice" in Manhattan. Sitting at The Shades of Green, off East Union Square, the "pints of plain" flow freely. The proper Irish bartender (Sean) cannot be understood. Rup is drunk. He gives wisdom of all things Irish. Yet he isn't Irish. The calamari is amazing, the fried zuchinni rocks, the chips are fat, and the burgers are perfect! What else could you be asking for on a Sunday evening!
This is a submission by Kyle - my friend who has been part of my "drink and dine practice" in Manhattan. Sitting at The Shades of Green, off East Union Square, the "pints of plain" flow freely. The proper Irish bartender (Sean) cannot be understood. Rup is drunk. He gives wisdom of all things Irish. Yet he isn't Irish. The calamari is amazing, the fried zuchinni rocks, the chips are fat, and the burgers are perfect! What else could you be asking for on a Sunday evening!
PDT (Please Don't Tell)
PDT is an ideal "date place" or locale for gathering friends 8 or less. Imaginative cocktails at the hands of the now fashionable "mixologists" make this post-millenium speak-easy a very impressive find. Entering through a phone booth makes those in the know feel cool. An oddity however is that avante garde libations are offset by a menu of burgers and Crif-dogs- tasty, but not exactly a match for fine spirits and the like. Also, from what we gathered, the reservation that is required seems to secure a 2hour window. We were booted from our table despite the fact we consistently ordered drinks and food between rounds. We still give a thumbs up to PDT especially at a time where NY-ers are deperate for a new lounge. Definitely check this place out! Located inside Crif dogs on St.Marks between avenues 1 and A.
PDT is an ideal "date place" or locale for gathering friends 8 or less. Imaginative cocktails at the hands of the now fashionable "mixologists" make this post-millenium speak-easy a very impressive find. Entering through a phone booth makes those in the know feel cool. An oddity however is that avante garde libations are offset by a menu of burgers and Crif-dogs- tasty, but not exactly a match for fine spirits and the like. Also, from what we gathered, the reservation that is required seems to secure a 2hour window. We were booted from our table despite the fact we consistently ordered drinks and food between rounds. We still give a thumbs up to PDT especially at a time where NY-ers are deperate for a new lounge. Definitely check this place out! Located inside Crif dogs on St.Marks between avenues 1 and A.
Myers of Keswick
Check out myersofkeswick.com. Finally a store where I can buy the real Cadburys chocs and hobnobs. Not sure how I missed this one. They also have the pies and scones. Cheers!!!
Check out myersofkeswick.com. Finally a store where I can buy the real Cadburys chocs and hobnobs. Not sure how I missed this one. They also have the pies and scones. Cheers!!!
34th Street August Food and Wine Festival
Following is an email I got from Bryant Park Corporation about a F&W festival.
Best known for shopping, big-time sporting and entertainment events and landmark buildings, 34th Street is also home to a surprisingly vibrant dining scene. The 34th Street August Food and Wine Festival gives you the chance to explore this relatively undiscovered corner of culinary New York at an unbeatable price. During the entire month of August, some of the 34th Street District’s finest restaurants will offer seasonal prix fixe menus, with wine pairings, at a special price of $20.06 for lunch and $34.00 for dinner. Whether you’re in the District to shop, sightsee, or attend a sporting or entertainment event, the Food and Wine Festival makes it easy and affordable to add gourmet dining to your schedule. Click www.34thstreet.org for more information.
Following is an email I got from Bryant Park Corporation about a F&W festival.
Best known for shopping, big-time sporting and entertainment events and landmark buildings, 34th Street is also home to a surprisingly vibrant dining scene. The 34th Street August Food and Wine Festival gives you the chance to explore this relatively undiscovered corner of culinary New York at an unbeatable price. During the entire month of August, some of the 34th Street District’s finest restaurants will offer seasonal prix fixe menus, with wine pairings, at a special price of $20.06 for lunch and $34.00 for dinner. Whether you’re in the District to shop, sightsee, or attend a sporting or entertainment event, the Food and Wine Festival makes it easy and affordable to add gourmet dining to your schedule. Click www.34thstreet.org for more information.
Head to head in London and New York
Interesting article on the restaurant-onomics on either side of the atlantic. Again, not quite the PepperBlog, but hey... why should i be sticking to objectives when i have the option to not stick to them!?
Interesting article on the restaurant-onomics on either side of the atlantic. Again, not quite the PepperBlog, but hey... why should i be sticking to objectives when i have the option to not stick to them!?
good health
location: 1435. 1st ave. new york. 10021. (btwn 74th & 75th)
phone: 212.517.9898
healthful, organic, fresh, macro-biotic choice, good brunch
these days i seem to be flaking in my blogging efforts. though my travel is minimal, reasons are aplenty for not blogging. anyways, i thought i would do myself a favor by blogging a long-time favorite in the hood. 'good health' stands true and strong to its name. the food is consistently fresh in feel and taste. the one thing that i do enjoy is to be relaxed while eating a good meal. this place absolutely caters to the sense of taste and my music. it plays jazz/old school. there's a cafe-feel inside this quaintly and not-so-beautifully dressed little restaurant. my favorite entree is the grilled veggies with couscous and teriyaki tofu. its featured in the picture below. other things that are worth trying include a variety of fresh burgers and grilled seafood. somehow i convince myself to eat a lemon mousse cheesecake everytime i go.
the staff is friendly. the ambience is moderate, yet relaxing. if you can park your ass in starbucks for hours listening to crazy phone conversations, i bet you would enjoy this restaurant a million times more.
fyi not too far from the east river, museum mile and the riverside.
location: 1435. 1st ave. new york. 10021. (btwn 74th & 75th)
phone: 212.517.9898
healthful, organic, fresh, macro-biotic choice, good brunch
these days i seem to be flaking in my blogging efforts. though my travel is minimal, reasons are aplenty for not blogging. anyways, i thought i would do myself a favor by blogging a long-time favorite in the hood. 'good health' stands true and strong to its name. the food is consistently fresh in feel and taste. the one thing that i do enjoy is to be relaxed while eating a good meal. this place absolutely caters to the sense of taste and my music. it plays jazz/old school. there's a cafe-feel inside this quaintly and not-so-beautifully dressed little restaurant. my favorite entree is the grilled veggies with couscous and teriyaki tofu. its featured in the picture below. other things that are worth trying include a variety of fresh burgers and grilled seafood. somehow i convince myself to eat a lemon mousse cheesecake everytime i go.
the staff is friendly. the ambience is moderate, yet relaxing. if you can park your ass in starbucks for hours listening to crazy phone conversations, i bet you would enjoy this restaurant a million times more.
fyi not too far from the east river, museum mile and the riverside.
ma*ya hurapan kitchen
location: 234. e 4th Street. new york. ny
phone: 646.313.1987
pan-asian/thai, tapas, cheap, chic ambience, decent staff
last night, after a long time, i decide to break out of my cooking frenzy to try something "outside". picked maya hurapan (mr. harapan is the exec chef) in the east village/alphabet city area. it was particularly warm night of the winter and had much excitement sitting by the window. the menu was a tad different from other thai eateries because it had more than the red, green, and penang curry.
we ordered a bunch of tapas (served thai style), appetizers, and shared an order of thai barbecued pork chops served with a side of mango/red onion salad. of all the orders, an appetizer - roti canai (yes, its malaysian) stood out with colors and taste. the pork chops entree was good, but some portions were juicy whilst the others were not as much! Hmmm... wonder if its the same pork, or different. i think i ordered the wrong drink for the night with a ginger saketini that came out bland. for some reason i expected it to be a tad sweet. maybe i was daft in ordering it! we topped it off with fried coconut ice cream in a mango sauce (or puree?). i thought the ice cream would be made of coconut, but actually, the batter was coconut-based, while the ice cream per se was vanilla, i think. the service staff were agile and friendly. overall, the food was very good, and i would definitely go there. but a little bit of help in ordering drinks for the food would be good. also, i did not understand why they would have free coupons for larry flynt's hustler club. in any case, it was a welcome break to get out and catch some nice weather.
fyi there're a bunch of bars around the neighborhood including le souk. noticed some off the wall theater as well!
location: 234. e 4th Street. new york. ny
phone: 646.313.1987
pan-asian/thai, tapas, cheap, chic ambience, decent staff
last night, after a long time, i decide to break out of my cooking frenzy to try something "outside". picked maya hurapan (mr. harapan is the exec chef) in the east village/alphabet city area. it was particularly warm night of the winter and had much excitement sitting by the window. the menu was a tad different from other thai eateries because it had more than the red, green, and penang curry.
we ordered a bunch of tapas (served thai style), appetizers, and shared an order of thai barbecued pork chops served with a side of mango/red onion salad. of all the orders, an appetizer - roti canai (yes, its malaysian) stood out with colors and taste. the pork chops entree was good, but some portions were juicy whilst the others were not as much! Hmmm... wonder if its the same pork, or different. i think i ordered the wrong drink for the night with a ginger saketini that came out bland. for some reason i expected it to be a tad sweet. maybe i was daft in ordering it! we topped it off with fried coconut ice cream in a mango sauce (or puree?). i thought the ice cream would be made of coconut, but actually, the batter was coconut-based, while the ice cream per se was vanilla, i think. the service staff were agile and friendly. overall, the food was very good, and i would definitely go there. but a little bit of help in ordering drinks for the food would be good. also, i did not understand why they would have free coupons for larry flynt's hustler club. in any case, it was a welcome break to get out and catch some nice weather.
fyi there're a bunch of bars around the neighborhood including le souk. noticed some off the wall theater as well!
frankie and johnnie's steak house
location: 269. west 45th street
phone: 212.997.9494
steaks, veal and chops since 1929
This is very new concept to PepperBlog. This is a guest entry... from a good friend, Harley Mason from TX, who visited F&J's Steak House last night for dinner whilst he's in town for business. Since he knows that I blog about NY restaurants, he contributed this posting! Unfortunately, we do not have a picture for this blog. But the details are so vivid, you can imagine it. Had PepperBlog been a money-maker, Harley would be my writing partner! Enjoy the post... the punch is in the end, but you gotta read through!!
Harley writes: As I left my hotel room, I asked one of the hotel staff, where I could find a good steak within walking distance. He referred me to Frankie and Johnnie's at 269 West 45th Street. A narrow staircase led upstairs to this little restaurant, serving steaks, veal and chops since 1929. I was ushered to a small table up against the wall, with a starched white table cloth and pressed white napkin. This was one of those places where you eat with your little pinky in the air. The restaurant was filled with other men and women, laughing, talking and all seemed in order. I was immediately impressed with the service from the waiters who were about 40 years older than the average waiter I see back in Texas, and all dressed in dark suits. The waiters stood by in the shadows, watching their respective tables for the slightest indication that service was needed. Since I'm a meat-eater from the Great State of Texas, I found the Filet Mignon on the menu, with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus. It was the perfect way to end the day. I topped it off with a glass of Merlot. If I had been in Texas I would have had a beer, but this was one of those fancy places. The filet found its way to the table first, followed by the garlic mashed potatoes. As I picked up my knife and fork, the asparagus arrived at the table, along with a most unwelcome guest - a half-inch long German cockroach! I don't know where the little booger came from, other than it appeared when the waiter was moving items around on my table to sit the asparagus down. I figured it either hitched a ride to the table under the asparagus dish or somehow clung to the waiters sleeve as he came from the kitchen. Either way, it ran wild when it got to my table! I grabbed my steak plate and backed away from the table as it fled right towards me - I had visions of it leaping into my lap, and then everyone would have seen one mad cowboy doing the hootchie-kootchie across the dance floor. I considered standin' up for a brief second, but the waiter grabbed a napkin and tried to squash it. The pesky little critter ran over the edge of the tablecloth and made a free-fall to the wooden floor below, where its color blended in perfectly with the hardwoods. I then began trying to stomp it with my shoe, and finally I must have winged it, because I was able to zero-in on it and mashed it flat on the floor. There is only a stain there now - where he sat for an instant too long. I'll probably have nightmares about it tonight. I hate roaches and this was hands-down the worst experience I have ever had at a restaurant - anywhere. I could only imagine one worse outcome, and that would be if I found half of a roach on my plate. Being a native Texan, I ate my steak anyway. No reason to throw away a good piece of meat, even though it was tougher than normal and way too dry. My waiter apologized for the roach event, but confessed to me that this was not the first time it had happened. I asked, "Are you serious!?" and he shook his head affirmatively. Personally, I ain't goin' back to Frankie and Johnnie's.
location: 269. west 45th street
phone: 212.997.9494
steaks, veal and chops since 1929
This is very new concept to PepperBlog. This is a guest entry... from a good friend, Harley Mason from TX, who visited F&J's Steak House last night for dinner whilst he's in town for business. Since he knows that I blog about NY restaurants, he contributed this posting! Unfortunately, we do not have a picture for this blog. But the details are so vivid, you can imagine it. Had PepperBlog been a money-maker, Harley would be my writing partner! Enjoy the post... the punch is in the end, but you gotta read through!!
Harley writes: As I left my hotel room, I asked one of the hotel staff, where I could find a good steak within walking distance. He referred me to Frankie and Johnnie's at 269 West 45th Street. A narrow staircase led upstairs to this little restaurant, serving steaks, veal and chops since 1929. I was ushered to a small table up against the wall, with a starched white table cloth and pressed white napkin. This was one of those places where you eat with your little pinky in the air. The restaurant was filled with other men and women, laughing, talking and all seemed in order. I was immediately impressed with the service from the waiters who were about 40 years older than the average waiter I see back in Texas, and all dressed in dark suits. The waiters stood by in the shadows, watching their respective tables for the slightest indication that service was needed. Since I'm a meat-eater from the Great State of Texas, I found the Filet Mignon on the menu, with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus. It was the perfect way to end the day. I topped it off with a glass of Merlot. If I had been in Texas I would have had a beer, but this was one of those fancy places. The filet found its way to the table first, followed by the garlic mashed potatoes. As I picked up my knife and fork, the asparagus arrived at the table, along with a most unwelcome guest - a half-inch long German cockroach! I don't know where the little booger came from, other than it appeared when the waiter was moving items around on my table to sit the asparagus down. I figured it either hitched a ride to the table under the asparagus dish or somehow clung to the waiters sleeve as he came from the kitchen. Either way, it ran wild when it got to my table! I grabbed my steak plate and backed away from the table as it fled right towards me - I had visions of it leaping into my lap, and then everyone would have seen one mad cowboy doing the hootchie-kootchie across the dance floor. I considered standin' up for a brief second, but the waiter grabbed a napkin and tried to squash it. The pesky little critter ran over the edge of the tablecloth and made a free-fall to the wooden floor below, where its color blended in perfectly with the hardwoods. I then began trying to stomp it with my shoe, and finally I must have winged it, because I was able to zero-in on it and mashed it flat on the floor. There is only a stain there now - where he sat for an instant too long. I'll probably have nightmares about it tonight. I hate roaches and this was hands-down the worst experience I have ever had at a restaurant - anywhere. I could only imagine one worse outcome, and that would be if I found half of a roach on my plate. Being a native Texan, I ate my steak anyway. No reason to throw away a good piece of meat, even though it was tougher than normal and way too dry. My waiter apologized for the roach event, but confessed to me that this was not the first time it had happened. I asked, "Are you serious!?" and he shook his head affirmatively. Personally, I ain't goin' back to Frankie and Johnnie's.
slice, the perfect food
location: 1413. 2nd avenue. new york. ny. 10021.
phone: 212.249.4353
upper east side, pizzeria, friendly, organic, healthful, expensive
slice, the perfect food ("stpf") was put together by miki, who says she coundn't find healthful slice of pizza in manhattan! not sure if pizzas were meant to be healthy in the first place, nevertheless, she has a good selection of slices (and pies) named interestingly - starts with "simpleton" and move on to "genius" and you'll embark on "dunce" and "expert" along the way. the price of a slice also travels upward as you get "smarter" in your choice of the slice. i like organic ingredients, and try to get them as much as possible, but i've begun to wake up thinking that the grocery from "whole foods" store does dig deeper into my wallet! :-( "stpf" is not far from that either. i think that's the most i have paid for a slice when i ordered the "expert" (yes, i wasn't prepared to be a "simpleton", or a "dunce", or for that matter, "genius"). my slice had rosemary grilled chicken, and i ordered it on soy cheese. i could have done with rice mozz as well. absolutely good slice of pizza... but felt guilty for paying $5+ for only a slice! it may not be a lot for others in the upper east side, but people familiar with the nyc pizza scene know that its not cheap! the pizza is cut into smaller bite-sized slices, so there is no mess... but i do not know if you could take it on the street and shove it down like a slice of "ray's pizza"! what i liked was the freshness of the ingredients, the attitude of "stpf" (and its people), and the friendly service ready to recommend toppings. what i think they could do with is reduced prices! but again, organic comes with a price!
fyi well, its upper east side. you are not far away from the whitney, or other museums. and of course, the park.
location: 1413. 2nd avenue. new york. ny. 10021.
phone: 212.249.4353
upper east side, pizzeria, friendly, organic, healthful, expensive
slice, the perfect food ("stpf") was put together by miki, who says she coundn't find healthful slice of pizza in manhattan! not sure if pizzas were meant to be healthy in the first place, nevertheless, she has a good selection of slices (and pies) named interestingly - starts with "simpleton" and move on to "genius" and you'll embark on "dunce" and "expert" along the way. the price of a slice also travels upward as you get "smarter" in your choice of the slice. i like organic ingredients, and try to get them as much as possible, but i've begun to wake up thinking that the grocery from "whole foods" store does dig deeper into my wallet! :-( "stpf" is not far from that either. i think that's the most i have paid for a slice when i ordered the "expert" (yes, i wasn't prepared to be a "simpleton", or a "dunce", or for that matter, "genius"). my slice had rosemary grilled chicken, and i ordered it on soy cheese. i could have done with rice mozz as well. absolutely good slice of pizza... but felt guilty for paying $5+ for only a slice! it may not be a lot for others in the upper east side, but people familiar with the nyc pizza scene know that its not cheap! the pizza is cut into smaller bite-sized slices, so there is no mess... but i do not know if you could take it on the street and shove it down like a slice of "ray's pizza"! what i liked was the freshness of the ingredients, the attitude of "stpf" (and its people), and the friendly service ready to recommend toppings. what i think they could do with is reduced prices! but again, organic comes with a price!
fyi well, its upper east side. you are not far away from the whitney, or other museums. and of course, the park.
