Food Adventuring Around NYC
THE PLACE: Claud is a cozy upscale wine bar owned by a team that has since opened up some other well-regarded sister restaurants all around it. Upstairs is Penny (the seafood haven) and a few blocks north is the brand new Stars, which is a more intimate space with a greater focus on the wine. …
I’m counting down the 10 best dishes I tasted in 2025… This was the year where I surrendered to the fact that I won’t experience every single viral dish in the city and, frankly, realized I don’t really want to. While a few of the hottest and most in-demand bites found their way on my …
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: 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: I was ready to hate Bad Roman and write it off as a not serious restaurant that is all social media hype. It is definitely some of that, but it was better than I expected. This was our best option for a special dinner out before a show at Lincoln Center considering we …
I’m counting down the 10 best dishes I tasted in 2024… As I put together my list of the ten best dishes I tried in NYC, I realized just why I love this city. I didn’t purposely curated this list to be diverse in terms of neighborhood, cuisine, or price point. It just ended up …
When I visit an ice cream shop, I want to try all the flavors. I expect that. But when I stop at a taco joint, I don’t expect to want to try all the cuts of pork. But Carnitas Ramirez is not your typical taco joint. The owners of Taqueria Ramirez opened this small house …
We have been very lucky to have spent some time in Greece and its surrounding islands. One place we have not visited in that part of the world is a country that many Americans don’t even realize is its own country. With lots of influence from both the Greeks and the Turks, Cyprus is very …
On a recent trip to South Florida to visit my family, I thought we should take this video series on the road and share it with some of Sam’s cousins. And since we would be in the most southeastern part of the country, only one country made sense to tackle. Considering the food and ingredients …
I’m counting down the 10 best dishes I tasted in 2023… My eating out was definitely different this year. I let go of the need to visit all the latest “hot spots” and found much more comfort and enjoyment in old standbys and casual neighborhood spots. The pricing at new middle-tier restaurants also reached peak …
When I awarded Lin & Daughters a perfect 10 our of 10 last year, I did not think I would get better (or as good) dumplings for a long time. But that is because I had not yet been to Samniwago. It was not for lack of trying. I visited the Mott Street Eatery (one of the …
I’m counting down the 10 best dishes I tasted in 2023… Eating out was definitely different this year for me. I let go of the need to visit all the latest “hot spots” (still have not been to Bad Roman or Tatiana) and found much more comfort and enjoyment in old standbys and casual neighborhood …
I hope this doesn’t come out wrong, but while COVID was a horrific tragic time for so many, I also look back to the time of the lockdown with a bit of nostalgia. There were so many exciting innovations happening – especially among the food and drink world. One business that started during the pandemic …
When I was focused on my best dumplings in New York search, I was mostly concentrating in the multiple Chinatowns in New York City. Of course, there were a few spots scattered around the city that I examined, but the hub of it was around Canal Street, Flushing, Sunset Park, or Elmhurst (yes, I know …
Sam has been asking about this country from the day we started this project. Obviously, China finds its way into popular culture much more than a place like Bhutan. I think he learned about China from his Thomas the Tank Engine Stories. And to this day, it is still the country he seems to want to …