Tag Archives: Murray Hill

Wine:30 in Murray Hill

I love wine, especially full-bodied red wine. To be more specific I have a soft spot for Malbec, it’s my favorite type of wine… although I have truly enjoyed a variety of wine from Tuscany too. This summer, I want to venture to more wine bars, and if possible experience wine tastings every once in a while. So, if anyone has any ideas of where to start, I would love suggestions!

I recently went to a wine bar in Murray Hill — I know, I never spend any time in Murray Hill (unless it’s at my boyfriend’s apartment, or seeing a movie at the AMC). So when I was invited to Wine:30 I thought it would be a hit to find something great in a neighborhood I am not a big fan of. When I first walked in I only saw a couple tables out front, and of course they were occupied — I immediately assumed that I would be sitting inside. I was pleasantly surprised when I was lead out to a back garden that seated dozens! It was the perfect weather to enjoy a glass of wine outside!

Of course I ordered my favorite Malbec, but there was such a wide selection of wine I’m sure every wine lover would be satisfied. A new foodie friend of mine joined me and we ended up ordering some Bruschetta. I highly recommend everyone who is looking for some vibrant flavors to order some bruschetta. Plus, if it’s just you and a friend, Wine:30′s order of bruschetta is perfect because each selection comes in two pieces. So, you can order 3 types and 6 pieces will arrive at the table (perfect, a sample of each for both people).

We ordered 3 types: tomato, mozzarella, basil, balsamic, honey, and extra virgin olive oil as well as  caramelized onion, goat cheese, and melted gruyere and finally the last one we ordered was roasted corn, black beans, chihuahua cheese, cilantro and lime juice.

All three of them were fantastic, but if I had known about some of the flavors I would have ordered other options because of my food mood (if you know what I mean). I love gruyere cheese and hearing the goat cheese gruyere combo with caramelized onions sounded delish — but when it came and I quickly bit into it, I realized that it reminded me of a gourmet grilled cheese. It was ridiculously delicious although I wasn’t in the grilled cheese mood.

I was insanely surprised with the order of the roasted corn, black beans, chihuahua cheese, cilantro and lime juice. I don’t know what I was expecting but I wasn’t expecting for it to be my favorite. It was a cold mixture of toppings which went perfect with the refreshing flavors of the cilantro and lime juice. If this specific bruschetta was heated it wouldn’t have been as tasty. But how interesting are these toppings? Can you say, “Mexican-style Italian bruschetta”??

Last but not least was the tomato, mozzarella, basil, balsamic, honey and extra virgin olive oil. This is such a classic way to make bruschetta and the ingredients always come together beautifully. Typically when I make this combo at home I don’t dice up the ingredients, rather I slice everything up and pile them on top of one another — I like this way much more because then the pieces of cheese and tomato aren’t constantly falling off.

This was just a quick brief overview of what is on the menu — I was so surprised with how large the wine bar’s food selection is and I need to go back soon to sample more. I promise you I will, because I think this wine bar has amazing summer-time-hot-spot potential!

Bareburger Burger Joint

I’m not really a big fan of salads…

I feel like you have to eat a lot of salad in order to fill up. And the flavors are typically so traditional it gets boring very quickly.

But lately I have managed to come across two salads that I love and I can’t seem to get enough of. One of the salads is from Vezzo (the thin crust pizzeria that I’m in love with, and their apple salad is very tart and tangy and is full of flavor), the other is from Bareburger (a fabulous burger joint that has quickly expanded to a large burger chain throughout Manhattan). Bareburger’s Mexican Salad was such an unexpected surprise. This salad has every type of flavor, texture, and even color! From the smooth, rich, creamy texture of an avocado — to the crunch of mini tortilla chips, every bite will be different. I’m also a major fan of the pepper jack cheese that’s diced up and thrown into the salad!

Tomatoes + Avocado + Onion + Lettuce + Pepper + Pepper Jack Cheese + Tortilla chips = the best salad ever! (what kind of dressing do they use… I have no clue! All I know is it’s nothing to feel guilty over and it’s a subtle tang that brings out all of the vegetables’ flavors! And did I mention how fresh every single ingredient is? I have ordered this salad countless times and never have I experience a plate that wasn’t made with perfect, fresh vegetables! The avocados are never bruised, the ingredients never come out soggy — I love it!)

I could actually eat this salad for a meal! That’s if my boyfriend and I don’t have a fork-war over every bite!

Ali Baba Turkish Cuisine

On Friday, my boyfriend and I saw Mission Impossible 4 and went out to dinner at a restaurant extremely close to his apartment. First of all, the movie was fantastic! Full of entertaining, suspenseful moments the movie definitely had me on the edge of my seat. The theater was also packed! not a single seat was available, and we were in the gigantic IMAX room too!

Before the movie, we went to a Turkish restaurant called Ali Baba, located on 34th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenue. We started the meal off with the Mixed Appetizer, including lebni, humus, eggplant salad, ispanak eggplant with sauce and pilaki. These dips were perfect! And they serve a fantastic warm fluffy bread to go with everything. If you don’t like dill, then I would probably stay away from a few of the dips on this plate. Growing up my Syrian grandmother used to make all of this stuff… and my mom to this day makes a fantastic humus. But I have to say, Ali Baba chefs do it all pretty darn well!

When taking a look at the menu and trying to decide what to order, I noticed they had Lahmacun listed under the entrees. Growing up I hated this dish, but as my taste buds grew I began to love it! Lahmacun is a “turkish styled pizza, flat break dough topped with ground lamb and chopped garden vegetables.” This can be made many ways — some people who cook this might not have green veggies on it, rather they might use finely chopped peppers and onion.

But I skipped the Lahmacun since I have had it so many times. I went for something basic and simple: the Tavuk Kebab (Chicken Kevab), a plate made of “tender chunks of chicken marinated with the chef’s own blend of herbs and spices.”

I have never eaten chicken so tender, so moist, and so flavorful in my entire life. I joke with my friends that if you order chicken, especially in a New York City restaurant, that you truly are a boring, non-adventurous person, or simply a person who can’t make up their mind so they settle with the most boring thing you can order — chicken. And on Friday night that is exactly what happened to me, I couldn’t make up my mind and I settled for the kebabs because my boyfriend raved about them. I sure am happy I chose these chicken kebabs because they really were the best! I also got a side of of a dill lebni — a dill yogurt sort of dip to put over top of my chicken. Even though the chicken was already marinated in a ton of spices and herbs, this dip/sauce made it even better! It was a refreshing amount of dill, nothing too overwhelming, it was just enough to compliment the chicken. (My boyfriend ordered a steak plate with mushrooms, see photo below.)

I can’t wait to take my parents to this restaurant the next time they come into the city. I know they will enjoy it — and for my dad, it will be a flashback to childhood and all of the foods that were cooked for him as a kid!

Vezzo Thin Crust Pizza in Murray Hill

I’m not a big fan of the neighborhood of Murray Hill. To describe it to a non New York’er, the neighborhood is filled with college frat boys who have graduated yet can’t seem to leave behind the obnoxious sports bars. All of the neighborhoods in New York City ultimately make up the city that I love so much — so if Murray Hill didn’t exist then I think that would mean those obnoxious former frat boys might be in my family-oriented, charming neighborhood of Chelsea. I just cringed as I wrote that.

But since my boyfriend has yet to move out of Murray Hill (hopefully that will happen in the spring time, he might be a former frat boy but his behavior is nothing of the sort), we spend a lot of time in the neighborhood. What’s good about Murray Hill? There’s a fantastic AMC movie theater on 2nd Avenue (there’s also one on the west side right above Chelsea in the Herald Square area, and there is a Bareburger (which has also recently opened in Chelsea as well… I love their salads and I promise to write about them soon). So really, there’s nothing keeping my boyfriend in Murray Hill since everything you could want (and more) can be found in Chelsea.

But, a new discovery we have made in Murray Hill is a pizzeria called Vezzo. This small, packed restaurant has probably the best thin crust pizza I have ever had. Perfectly cheesed and seasoned, the toppings are put on top of the best crunchy thin crust! What was my favorite? While my boyfriend opted for the classic cheese pizza, I order the “Shroomtown” that included: marinara sauce, cheese, portobello, shitake, button mushrooms, and white truffle oil.

If you didn’t already know, the flavoring of truffle is a million times better when it is paired with a dairy product such as cheese. I also don’t know why, but I love the pairing of mushrooms and truffle oil. I’m also not a big fan of truffle oil, but it is more common for a restaurant to sometimes use a truffle oil since it is much cheaper. But, if you ever see “white truffle” as an ingredient you should know that that type of truffle is the best. There are two types of truffles: black and white. Personally, the white is my favorite!

It’s rare that we go to a restaurant to sit down and have pizza. But I would do it again any day at Vezzo! They do deliver as well! Since there was about a 45 minute wait at the restaurant, we will probably end up ordering delivery the next time we want their pizza. But delivery never tastes the same!