West Village/Tribeca Eats

You're stranded on Spring and Hudson, desperately searching for a dinner spot. Try one of these suggestions from my RTR friends...

Forge
134 Reade St.
212-941-9401

Flor de Sol
361 Greenwich St.
212-366-1640

The Harrison
355 Greenwich St.
212-274-9310

Jane
100 W. Houston St.
212-254-7000

Cafe Cluny
284 W. 12th St
212-255-6900

Megu
62 Thomas St.
212-964-7777

Blue Ribbon
119 Sullivan St.
212-343-0404

Tartine
253 W. 11th St.
212-229-2611

Morandi
211 Waverly Pl.
212-627-7575

Mekong
18 King St.
212-343-8169

Stay tuned for 2 new posts... My Best Friend's Wedding and Dinner at Daniel

Day 2 of The Fresh Diet

Day 2 is underway and off to a sweet start. According to the scale, I'm 2 lbs lighter. I'm thinking the diet + 7am runs are worth the extra effort. Yesterday's menu was pretty delicious–dinner/dessert definitely being the highlight. I cut 2 strawberries into about 15 pieces if that's even possible and savored every last bite of chocolate and ricotta. Here's what's on the menu today:

Breakfast: Cinnamon Swirl Multi-Grain French Toast with Fresh Apples and Blackberry Ricotta Cheese

Lunch: Tuna Burger on Whole Wheat Bun with Cucumber and Avocado Salsa

Snack: Artichoke Bottoms Filled with Creamy Cauliflower

Dinner: Stuffed Chicken Asiago & Tarragon with Whole Wheat Linguine Pasta and Roasted Fennel

Dessert: Apple Pistachio Muffin

The Fresh Diet

6 days until Marisa's wedding = Day 1 of The Fresh Diet



The Fresh Diet delivers 3 fresh gourmet meals and 2 snacks to your doorstep daily (for as many days as you purchase). Each day consists of about 1200-1400 calories. They tailor the menu to your likes/dislikes which you store in your virtual pantry prior to choosing your menus (Notice my dislike basket full of meat). With the program I chose, I get 4 choices for each meal and I can choose 2 snacks from about 5 choices. The prices vary depending on which program you select. I luckily snagged a good deal using Groupon last week.



I awoke today to an adorable little green cooler bag outside my front door with my Day 1 food. It's packaged with ice packs so your food stays fresh until you unpack it. While the portions are slightly smaller than I expected, they are pretty tasty and provide a good variety of flavors. On the menu for today is:

Breakfast: Southwestern Style Scrambled Eggs with with Fire Roasted Corn, Fresh Salsa, Bell Peppers, Pepper-Jack Cheese & Nine Grain Toast

Lunch: Asian Style Chicken Salad with Baby Bok Choy, Watercress, Alfalfa Sprouts, Water Chestnuts & Sesame Soy Dressing

Snack: Black Bean & Avocado Wheat Crostini

Dinner: Spicy Chickpea Patty with Cilantro Lime and Green Chillies. with Black Barley Pilaf and Exotic Mushroom Ragout

Dessert: Chocolate Dipped Strawberries with Creamy Vanilla Ricotta Cheese



Almost as good as having a personal chef! Stay posted for details about Day 2 and Day 3. I'm skipping Wednesday to celebrate my anniversary but back on track for Thursday!

On the List: Summer Update

Places I still need to try plus a few additions...

Locanda Verde
Co.
Minetta Tavern
Aldea
The Breslin Bar and Dining Room
Sorella
Spina
Marea
Mayahuel (for drinks)

Fit for Foodies: Chicago

My trip to Chicago in December proved to be more than just a weekend of site seeing. Prior to the trip, I did my research on the restaurant scene and after much deliberation chose Blackbird for Doug's bday dinner. It was the perfect choice. The restaurant was very minimalistic in decor and the food was excellent, credited to their amazing chefs who have been nominated for multiple awards. Beautifully prepared (small-medium) portions of soups, salads, pastas, seafood and meat graced our table and we left totally smitten with the place. We sat next to 2 chefs who were ecstatic about each course they tried and it made the experience that much more special knowing we were sharing in the fun. Also try their other restaurants The Publican and Avec.

Blackbird
619 W Randolph, Chicago
312.715.0708

BITES:

Amuse Bouche


Scallops with brandy, grapefruit, pine nut caramel and radish


Burrata cheese salad


Mussel soup


Short rib with sesame gnocchi


Poached lobster with turnips, flageolets, sea beans and fig broth


Manjari chocolate with pomegranates, crispy chocolate, lime salt and beat ice cream


Baked brioche with pear consomme and chai sorbet

Sweet Valentine (oh oh oh)

Good times never seem so good... Happy almost Valentine's Day. If your sweetheart's like me, she loves receiving flowers unexpectedly. Hand her an orchid or anemone and she's all smiles. Since flowers on Vday are a bit cliche, skip the roses and show up with a package of these:



Miniature Rose Cupcakes
in vanilla, chocolate and red-velvet from Kumquat Cupcakery.
$24 for a dozen at KumquatCupcakery.com

Falai

I don't always review restaurants, but I had to in this case. Falai gets a giant THUMBS UP! I don't think I can rave enough about the meal I had there last night, and I'm not sure if I want to because this place is a gem and I'd love it to stay that way. Doug took me on a date (awww) and he always lets me pick the place since he knows how much I love discovering good food. I read some amazing reviews for Falai and we decided to try it. Falai is an adorable little spot on Clinton near Rivington. There is a tiny bar with little crystals hanging overhead and maybe 10 tables in the whole place. It's cozy, so simple and so perfect. Onto the food... oh my. The presentation was impeccable and very creative, and the dishes themselves were some of the best I've ever tasted (the couples to the left and right seemed to agree). We savored every moment, all 3 hours of it... from the wine to the appetizers to the pastas to the fish and finally dessert. It was AMAZING! With that said, this is not the place to go if you're the type who likes to bring home leftovers. You will lick your plate clean, like I did :)

68 Clinton nr. Rivington
212.253.1960
Italian




BITES:
Bufala Ricotta Flan, pine-nut crumble, cauliflower, candied apple, frisée salad
Stracci di Pasta, spring herb pasta, green asparagus, pioppini mushrooms, asiago cheese and summer truffle fondue
Gnudi ricotta cheese, baby spinach, brown butter, crema di latte, crispy sage
Coda di Rospo monkfish two ways, seared and fried, cherry tomatoes,aioli, red beet vinaigrette, grilled eggplant
Passion Fruit Souffle

SIPS:
Castelvecchio, Canaiolo 2004
Cappuccino

Photos courtesy of NYmag and Falai

Pumpkin Spice & All Things Nice

All I have to say is WOW! Try one, you'll see what I mean.

Lunch at DKNY

My favorite lunch spot was written up in the New York Social Diary this week. When I started working at Ralph Lauren 4 years ago, everyone would ask me if I wanted to grab lunch at DKNY. I was so confused until I finally asked... Lunch at DKNY? Like the clothing store? To my delight, I learned that there is a small organic cafe called Blanche's upstairs in the Madison Ave DKNY store. I'm addicted ever since. The food is so fresh and the wraps/salads are like no other. My favorites are the veggie burger salad and the blue cheese tuna wrap. They toast the wraps until they are perfectly crispy, yet soft, and they are SO delicious. They also have the best olives I've ever had, supposedly Moroccan. I highly recommend stopping in for lunch or a fresh squeezed juice. This place rocks!

Blanche's Cafe
655 Madison Avenue @ DKNY
646-919-4634
(cash only)

Spigolo

1561 Second Ave + 81st St
212-744-1100
Italian

BITES:
Baked Littleneck Clams with bagna cauda butter
Shaved Celery Salad with gorgonzola, pecans, cider vinaigrette
Sheep Milk Ricotta Gnocchi with pancetta & radicchio
Scallops special
Banana/Peanut Butter Dessert

SIPS:
Try their dessert wine. If you get lucky, you may get one on the house.

Schiller’s Liquor Bar

131 Rivington St + Norfolk St
212-260-4555
French, Irish/English, Southern/Soul

BITES:
Schiller's Nachos with chorizo, refried beans, salsa, jalapeno
French Onion Soup
Tunaburger
Macaroni & Cheese

The Smith

55 Third Ave + 11th St
212-420-9800
American Nouveau

BITES:
Hot Potato Chips
Mac + Cheese
Mediterranean Salad
Ahi Tuna Salad
Vegetable Bibimbap
Pot of Mussels
RIP - The Cod

Philippe

33 E. 60th St + Madison Ave
212-644-8885
Chinese

BITES:
Crispy Seaweed
Chicken Satays
Salt + Pepper Calamari
Green Prawns
Beijing Chicken
Beef with Oyster Sauce

SIPS:
Peartini

SPOTTED:
Jeremy Piven + entourage (no, not that entourage) dining across from us

Dirt Candy

430 E. 9th St + Ave A
212-228-7732
American Traditional, Vegetarian/Vegan

BITES:
Jalapeno Hush Puppies served with maple butter
Onion Soup with farmhouse cheddar, kumquat marmalade
Kimchi Doughnuts with watermelon radishes, cilantro, wild arugula
Golden Beet Papardelle with yogurt, pistachios and honey
Stone Ground Grits with pickled shitakes and a tempura poached egg

Park Avenue Summer

100 E. 63rd + Park
212-644-1900
American Nouveau/Mediterranean

BITES:
Caprese Ravioli with Yellow Tomato Coulis
Seared Salmon with Crispy Taro and Cucumber Salad
Raspberries with Goat Cheese Mousse, Lemon Thyme and Honey



Photos courtesy of Clair Lim

Gnocco

337 E. 10th St + Ave B
212-677-1913
Italian

BITES:

Caprino Tiepido, Warm goat cheese with honey, raisins, mix greens
Gnocchi al Pomodoro e Mozzarella di Bufala
La Pizza Parmigiana

Boqueria Flatiron

53 W. 19th St + 6th ave
212-255-4160
Spanish/Tapas

BITES:
Espinacas a la Catalana, Sauteed spinach, garbanzos, pine nuts, garlic, raisins
Patatas Bravas, Crispy Potatoes
Datiles con Beicon, Dates stuffed with almonds and Valdeon, wrapped in bacon
Paella Valenciana, Rice, prawns, mussels, clams, chicken, chorizo, cockles
Quesos

Inoteca

Location 1:
98 Rivington St + Ludlow St
212-614-0473
Italian

Location 2:
323 3rd Ave + 24th St
212-683-3035
Italian

BITES:
Beets, orange, pecorino, mint & hazelnuts
Panini: fontina, truffle oil, spinach, mushroom
Lasagnette di melanzane
Gamberetti

Landmarc: Uptown

Time Warner Center
10 Columbus Circle + 60th St, 3rd floor
212-823-6123
American Nouveau

BITES:
French Onion Soup
Warm Goat Cheese Profiteroles
Smoked Mozzarella & Ricotta Fritters
Chopped Salad
Grilled Tuna, lentils, bacon, spinach & dijon

Jeeb Thai Tapas

154 Orchard St + Rivington St
212-677-4101
BYO, Thai

BITES:
Pad Thai
Shrimp with Fresh Ginger