Food Adventuring Around NYC
THE PLACE: For those that have bemoaned the lack of good Vietnamese in New York, I have great news. Banh Anh Em opened earlier this year in that strange area between the East Village, Union Square, and Gramercy. The surrounding bars all have a fratty quality, but this little restaurant with a sizable counter hosts …
THE PLACE: ThisBowl is still as trendy as ever and recently expanded to a second location in Nomad. I predicted them to be the best Sweetgreen a few months back when I wrote about their fresh and flavorful salads, and still stand by that. Although there is something that feels a bit less corporate about …
THE PLACE: I was so excited to somehow score an 8pm reservation at Sunn’s, a cozy hotspot in the Lower East Side that has been tough to get a table. That’s why I was even more anxious than usual when we were running late. It all worked out, thankfully, and we snagged two seats at …
THE PLACE: Places like Ramro did not exist in Astoria when I lived and hung out in this neighborhood decades ago. This is an intimate high-brow restaurant bordering on fine dining with a focus on an under-represented cuisine outside of Queens (Filipino). The service here is top-notch and the few tables are close together, yet …
THE PLACE: Kolkata Chai Co. seems to want to take the spicy, sweet black tea to the heights of the ever popular green tea matcha. This little café opened a few years back in the East Village and has slowly since expanded with small tea shops in a handful of NYC neighborhoods, including the one …
THE PLACE: Dame has been top of my list since they first started previewing their now famous fish and chips during the peak of the pandemic. Since then, this cozy Greenwich Village haunt not only continues to be a hot table in the city but also has become a reliable old standby. THE MENU: British …
THE PLACE: The long lines at Danny & Coop’s in the East Village have not only been because of the general food hysteria in NYC over the latest fad. It also has to do with the fact that this cheesesteak business is celebrity backed. You might not recognize Danny (Danny DiGiampietro, the owner of Angelo’s …
THE SPOT: I stumbled upon a bight blue storefront in Williamsburg the other day that I thought had to be a pizzeria or Italian spot. The name Paolina threw me off. But I saw a big sign that advertised falafel. Turns out this spot, which is destined to be a hit with the Instagram set, …
THE PLACE: Chinatown has changed. While you can (and should) still get bowls of cheap noodles and steaming dumplings in the neighborhood, you can now also find yourself in a high-brow modern restaurant taking nods from the likes of Spanish and French cuisine and serving everything from cured tuna and a comté tart to a …
Just like the rest of New York City, I’ve fallen hard (in that 90’s high school crush sort of way) for crisp, seasoned smash burgers Even if I wanted to, I can’t stop dreaming about them…
THE PLACE: Just recently transformed from the Filipino restaurant Tradisyon to the bright and airy Uncle Ray’s, this little nook in Hell’s Kitchen is welcoming and comfortable. When I stopped by for an early lunch, I was the only diner and was greeted graciously by the enthusiastic waitress and the chef himself, Sergeant Kiang (“Uncle …
THE PLACE: I’ve always felt like the Spanish restaurants in the city are never as good as the ones I have been to in Spain itself. More so than other countries I’ve travelled to. Eel Bar, which is a hip, clandestine bar/restaurant from the team behind Cervo’s and Hart’s, is the closest I’ve experienced to …
THE SPOT: If you’ve ever taken a train or a bus in or out of New York, you’ve encountered Zaro’s Family Bakery. These take-out spots are an iconic local bakery that started in the Bronx in 1927 and are now mostly found at Grand Central, Penn Station, and Port Authority Bus Terminal. They were once …
THE PLACE: Man, I miss giving the Cocktail Tours I used to run before the pandemic. Not just because they were awesome and I got to hang out at some of the best cocktail bars in town, but also because I really got to explore the local late night food scene in the East Village. …
THE PLACE: Shortly before the pandemic, I remember stopping by Nowon for a really fantastic bowl of clams in a black bean sauce. It very much felt like a late night bar stop with a burgeoning menu of Asian-influenced bar bites. Coming back all these years later, it was nice to see them in the …
THE PLACE: If you can imagine a Korean diner, Kisa would be it. When it opened in 2024, it was publicized as being inspired by a “kisa sikdang” which are restaurants aimed towards taxi cab drivers. I totally get that, but I’m afraid you won’t find many taxi drivers at this modern restaurant which often …
THE PLACE: A small little nook just steps away from the hub-bub of Roosevelt Avenue, Om Wok is a gem of a Tibetan restaurant with a welcoming staff and a faint smell of incense. It’s a cozy little spot and one that seems a bit off-the-beaten path of the other more popular momo spots in …
THE PLACE: Not exactly a “speakeasy” but Chez Zou is certainly hidden from view in the somewhat undiscovered neighborhood (or rather, development plaza) of Manhattan West – inside and upstairs a trendy Mediterranean restaurant. It feels like an extension of Zou Zou’s with large couches and a bar that is nestled into the wall. It’s …
Have you noticed that coffee shops now moonlight as florists and flower shops are now also cafés? How often do we need both flowers and coffee at the same time? Perhaps I have not thought of every single situation…. until now.
THE PLACE: While not as over-the-top with crowds as other similar trendy chef-driven places, Shukette is still a popular night out. With enough planning, reservations are not completely impossible. Even if you end up at the bar, like we did, it’s still pretty comfortable with a casual but energetic vibe. There is also a chef’s …
