Tag Archives: NYC restaurants

Empellon Taqueria

My first summer living in the city (this was before I graduated from college) I used to spend every single Saturday and Sunday having brunch with friends. It was also understandable because summer weekends in the city seem to make Manhattan feel pretty much like a ghost town — so a 3+ hour-long brunch is a great way to pass the time. The humidity spikes, thousands flee for the beach, and anyone else who gets in on a great last minute Fire Island beach house deal is considered one of the lucky ones. But I had spent plenty of summers on Fire Island and I was ready to take full advantage of all-you-can-drink mimosas! Forget about the temperature — my girlfriends and I would treat our West Village cafes the same way every Saturday morning: we insisted on sitting outside where we could casually [and appropriately] sunbathe, people watch and drink mimosa after mimosa (or in some situations Bloody Mary after Bloody Mary). It’s normal in a European cafe to park yourself in a petite chair at a busy establishment and not move for hours on end — it’s not exactly like that at Manhattan restaurants. But, for some reason summer brunch sessions tend to break all New York City restaurant etiquette.

My weekends — summer, fall, winter or spring — sure have changed! It’s rare for me to go out for brunch and spend hours gossiping, people watching and getting tipsy by 11 a.m. Sadly, I just don’t have the time to make that happen on a weekly, or even monthly, basis. But, that doesn’t mean I don’t have time to get out for a sober brunch with good friends!

My fabulous friend Stef (who is also officially a chef by the way) scouted out Empellon Taqueria in the West Village. The online menu made us both thrilled to try out this joint for brunch this past weekend.

types of salsa

Naturally, we eyed down the guacamole and massive list of salsas. Even though the restaurant had fantastic main course dishes, in today’s post I am going to tell you all about the salsas because there is just so much to cover!

We ordered the guacamole with the sampling of 7 salsas — these came in several small bowls with little spoons that came in handy when the chips were too large to dunk. When arranged on the table, they were set out from mild to spicy. My first tasting was right in the middle, something medium-spiced and exceptionally smokey. But then I tried Sikil Pak that had a very interesting texture that was also flavored with some interesting ingredients. Made out of pumpkin seeds, tomato, onion, garlic, cinnamon, epazote, sour orange juice and serrano — the Sikil Pak had a consistency similar to hummus that isn’t as creamy as it can be. The texture is what made me wonder if I would even categorize this as a salsa.

My personal favorites were the Smoked Cashew salsa and the Salsa Verde. I feel like it’s a mind game for me when I eat salsa verde — it looks like I am about to eat a chip full of pesto but the flavors are completely different than one another! Fresh and flavorful, this Salsa Verde makes me fall in love with cilantro all over again! The Smoked Cashew did not have an overwhelming nutty flavor and was light in consistency.

guacamole

The guacamole was perfect. Yes, I just said perfect! Freshly made, the guacamole was my savior after sampling some of the spiciest salsas. The creamy cooling sensation of the avocados helped expedite the end to the sincerely spicy Salsa Habanera.

What is it with spicy foods? I hate the feeling of the spice on my tongue, but I love the taste! I have yet to experience a spicy tasting food that I didn’t think was flavorful. The only “spicy” food I hate is wasabi — I think it tastes foul, as if it has mold on it.

Overall the restaurant was a fantastic spot to meet up at for brunch. Upon arriving at noon it was practically empty — a few families occupied some tables but they were heading out. By the time we left around 1:30/2 p.m. the place was packed and nearly every table was full! A major bonus: the restaurant is in such a prime location it is easy to get to by walking or subway.

Raymi — Peruvian Cuisine

Okay, I’ll admit it — I was very nervous to go out to dinner on Friday night. Peruvian food isn’t exactly something I am familiar with; and after menu-stalking I was a bit overwhelmed. After reading over several ingredients I either didn’t know the word/translation or I couldn’t seem to envision what the plate would taste like. I even found myself re-reading over “habanero.” The embarrassing part: I know what a habanero is. I know how to grow the plant in my backyard. I know just a small amount of this pepper will clear out my sinuses. But yet, I was so overwhelmed by the menu I had to look at the word “habanero” multiple times.

Within only a couple of minutes of being at the restaurant, I knew my dinner was in great hands. The servers at Raymi have perfected how to describe every dish, they know how to pair your food with Peruvian-style cocktails, and over-all they are brilliant at making your Peruvian dinner a memorable one.

You can easily get away with eating the entire meal in a tapas-style sort of way. My first dish: Causa of the day. Lobster was the catch of the day and the fish was placed over a cold aji amarillo potato puree. The rich, creamy texture of the lobster and potato puree was outstanding — but to add some extra flavor and crunch to the plate the chef added some roasted dehydrated corn. These little bites of crunchy corn was so delicious! I wish they were sold at the grocery store!

catch of the day

After quickly Yelp’ing a bit, I realized that the restaurant’s Peruvian Corn Cake plate was raved about. It seemed like such a hit, so obviously I put this at the top of the list of plates to order.

The corn cake is topped with a mushroom ragout and watercress leaves. It’s incredible how all of the flavors fuse together so beautifully — especially on this dish. Without the peppery taste of the watercress, the mushrooms and corn cake wouldn’t have that necessary zing. And I’m sure you are thinking about the texture of this “corn cake,” and let me assure you it’s nothing like a corn muffin or corn bread that we typically eat in the U.S. This corn cake doesn’t have the distinctive grainy consistency and is smooth and creamy and makes it easier to pick up the rest of the ingredients on your fork. I would be happy to order this plate and eat it as my lunch or dinner — funny enough, one of the hosts said she did just that the night before! This plate seems to be a hit for those dining at the restaurant and those working there!

peruvian corn cake

And since this restaurant really masters the concept of tapas plates, sharing food and talking about your favorite plates makes a dinner so much more fun. Which is why I loved the Ceviche & Tiraditos Tasting plate. This plate allows you to pick a total of 4 items from the ceviche and tiraditos section of the menu. Our choice (clock-wise from the top left): *I forget what the first one is, fluke, tuna and salmon. The manager recommended we eat these with a spoon — and boy was he right! Eating ceviche with a spoon rather than a fork allows you to scoop up the extra citrus juices at the bottom of the bowl — this gives the fish a refreshing flavor. This tasting plate couldn’t have been more of a hit!

peruvian ceviche

And, a close-up of the tuna:

tuna ceviche

Another brilliant appetizer to share between 2 people was the Hanger Steak — specifically it’s skewered hanger steak seared and served with aji panca glaze, creamy ocopa sauce and rocoto salsa. Wowza — this plate sure was full of flavor! It tasted as if the hanger steak was soaking and marinating in the most complex mixture of seasonings and spices before being cooked. Hands-down this was the most flavorful piece of meat I have tasted in a very long time! In addition to the  Peruvian Corn Cake, this Hanger Steak is a must-order!

peruvian hanger steak

For our “main dish” the two of us shared the Chaufa Completo — which is served with jasmine rice, chicken char siu, shrimp and chinese sausage. I dug in around the sausage but the overall plate was just bursting with exotic flavors. I knew right from the start the jasmine rice was going to add subtle but important flavorings to this plate.

Even though we had just a bit of leftovers, sharing all of these plates together completely satisfied us for dinner.

peruvian dinner

Over course we had to end our evening with dessert. We followed the manager’s suggestion and ordered the Peruvian Crispy Donuts. I know what you’re thinking — donuts are such a big food trend these can’t be anything other than ordinary, blah blah blah. But you’re wrong! Yes, donuts are such a food fad these days but Raymi adds a perfect, sweet, twist to the homemade dessert. Honey is the ingredient that makes these donuts have a natural sweetness — I guarantee that you’ll agree with me that these donuts are anything but ordinary!

homemade donuts

I’m sure you are overwhelmed reading this post — because you can see how much I truly enjoyed my first dinner at a Peruvian restaurant. I’m sure you have also noticed that Peruvian food is highly influenced by the Asian culture and cuisine! Who would have thought that a blend of Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, West African and Italian cuisines would be brought to the country of Peru and all of these cultures have been an influence on the food that is made throughout the country to this very day.  Luckily, for me, I found that Peruvian food seems to have a stronger influence from the Japanese — I’m not a huge fan of Chinese cuisine, but Japanese I love! There’s nothing like beautiful cuts of raw fish tossed in citrus and served fresh!

Cafe Gitane in Soho

A very good friend of mine from Penn State (Alexandra, who goes by her middle name, Kizia) lives in New York — she was actually one of those rare “born and raised in Manhattan” folks. I say it’s rare not because she was born and raised here, but because she actually returned to the city to live and work after college. She’s actually about to go on the most amazing life journey anyone could ever go on — which is why we got together for lunch to talk about her upcoming trip. For several months in 2013 she will be living in India to study yoga and meditation. After working in PR for a few years, she’s ready for the physical and mental break (I wish I could do the same, but she’s just more daring than I am to actually go through with it). To me, the thought of packing just a backpack and traveling more than half way around the world to discover more about yourself in a few months than some do in a life time is very admirable — and I wish nothing but the most amazing experiences for her.

So, Kizia picked our lunch date location — Cafe Gitane in Soho (could be considered Nolita). I had never been before and I did exactly what I always do when I have never been to a restaurant … I stalk the online menu, I read reviews, and I pick out what I’m going to order before I arrive. Although this time I only eyed-down one thing I was going to order before arriving at the cafe, and Kizia helped me pick out my main dish.

cafe gitane avocado bread

The cafe was packed — even in the middle of the day after the typical lunch rush was over. There were even a few seats outside and they were full (it was a dreary cold day too!). So, we waited about 45 minutes before we were seated at this petite, round cafe table in the very center of the restaurant. Kizia ordered her caffeine-fix-of-the-day, then we ordered our food. Going off of Kizia’s recommendation I ordered the Moroccan couscous with red peppers, raisins, toasted pinenuts, hummus and eggplant. I had the option of ordering it with chicken but passed when she had told me it was a very large portion to begin with. We also ordered the most unusual starter to share — a seven grain toast topped with avocado, lemon juice, olive oil and chili flakes.

When the avocado toast came we split the bread and didn’t bother cutting it up for individual bites. It was hearty and full of flavor and the avocado was at it’s prime to eat (not too hard, not too mushy, perfect in color). The lemon juice was subtle, but present in every bite. And those chili flakes added the perfect amount of heat to the mild avocado. The ultimate conclusion was a mix, we were: confused as to why so many people were raving about it on various food reviews online, and we also figured these were basic flavors anyone could combine in their own kitchen so why would it be so fabulous at this little cafe? It was funny though, because we both left the restaurant ranking it out as a good plate but nothing out of this world, but a few days later we were chatting about how it grew on each of us and we really enjoyed it!

cafe gitane couscous

My couscous was a tower of unbelievable fabulousness. Piled high on my plate in the most perfect molded shape, I was afraid to pierce it with my fork knowing I would destroy the gorgeous presentation. After taking a not-so-devastating bite to the tower I couldn’t hold back — I tore through it for larger forkfuls of food. All of the flavors meshed beautifully well and the hummus was also a great ingredient to hold everything else together; it made picking up couscous with raisins, pinenuts and red pepper easy. I also really enjoyed the golden raisins in the mix of everything — it added the perfect sweetness to the savory plate.

Ready for something embarrassing? This was the first time I have ever ordered couscous at a restaurant. Yup, I’m mortified to admit it. This dish is a MUST to order if you go to Cafe Gitane; I actually enjoyed it so much I would love to attempt to make a similar plate at home. I guess I was shocked that I enjoyed the plate so much and it didn’t involve cheese as an ingredient. Actually, I got through an entire meal without eating cheese! #success

I hope to see Kizia again before she ventures off to India. Our food adventures together are always fantastic — I sure do hope she makes a few memorable ones while she travels in the upcoming year!

NYC Ranking For 2012

Anyone on FourSquare? I loved this write-up Time Out New York did on the top places in NYC people checked into in 2012. I thought you would all enjoy this list — especially since the majority of these hot-spots you can find on my blog!
restaurants

Buschenschank, German Restaurant in Brooklyn

Over the past 2 weeks I have gone to Brooklyn more over those 14 days than I have over the 2 years I have lived in New York City. My friends Ken and Blaz have been letting me take their new addition, Little Bear, out for walks around their neighborhood while they are at work. Little Bear is an adorable Boston Terrier and I have fallen in love with her! The boys have trained her so well, she has mastered the basic commands but she can also follow commands based on “sign language”… Pretty smart, I know!

When I went to Brooklyn to meet with Ken and Blaz to learn about how to take care of Little Bear, the three of us ended up going out for dinner at a new restaurant in their ‘hood. We wound up at a spot called Buschenschank (located in Carroll Garden) — what a tongue twister that name is, good thing I only have to spell it for you guys and I don’t have to pronounce it!

We weren’t too sure what to expect, but while we were waiting for our table we ended up ordering a few brewskies and spent some time catching up. We were shocked at how CHEAP the large selection of beer was. The beer on tap was offered in three different sizes! Not only did we love the sizes of beer options, the selection of beer to pick from, and the prices — but we also loved all of the different types of beer glasses the booze was served in. Who wouldn’t love a chic beer mug? Do those even exist? Yes they do!

When we ordered we knew we had to order one of the pretzels. Even more specifically, we had to order the specialty pretzel with “bier cheese.” My expectations on soft pretzels is now very high after experiencing this restaurant’s pretzel… I have never experienced “bier cheese” before this evening and now I don’t think I could ever eat a pretzel without it. The flavor explodes in your mouth, it’s texture is creamy and when paired with the salt from the pretzel all of the flavors come together beautifully!

goat cheese sauce

I ended up ordering a pizza — very basic, but wow it was delish! I signed up for the “Adige” pizza, aka the “white pizza” that was topped with mushrooms, arugula, and a goat cheese sauce. The smokiness of the arugula went fantastic with the goat cheese sauce. Although, if I was to change anything about this pizza, I would add goat cheese chunks to the top of the pizza in addition to the goat cheese sauce below all of the other toppings. Otherwise the crust was perfectly crisp and all of the tastes on the pizza went together great. If you don’t enjoy a salty dish, be sure to skip out on this pizza!

My friend Ken ordered the traditional cheese pizza and I was expecting it to taste very basic but it was such a different experience than all of the other ordinary “cheese pizzas” out there. Every ingredient was bold and flavorful and unbelievably fresh. I think after our experience at this restaurant all three of us would love to return! The service was impeccable (even our hostess was beyond fabulous!). It’s always nice to have great service on top of delicious food!

The Standard Grill

I’ve been wanting to head to this restaurant for a while now, but unfortunately it’s one of those places that you need to call a month in advance in order to get a convenient reservation time — and obviously, that can get pretty difficult to do when you have a crazy schedule. But with out-of-town friends visiting, we were able to snag an 8 p.m. reservation. Unfortunately, we weren’t seated until 8:45! I was very worried that the long wait we were put through was going to be just the start to an ugly dinner.

Thank goodness… I was wrong!

Located in the heard of Meatpacking, The Standard Grill is a hot-spot and will probably be for a while. They have a beer garden located right next door, and it’s open year-round. Tucked underneath the Highline, the beer garden is open rain or shine and in the winter time walls are put up in order to keep the heat in. When you arrive at the beer garden you will need to purchase beer tickets (if beer is what you want to drink) in order to get your drinks at the bar. It’s a great place to start your night out at.

Inside the restaurant there is a back room/ main dining room that I strongly suggest you request to sit in — the room is filled with stylish New Yorkers that not only came for the scene, but came for the food. While some of the booths are made from plush red leather, others are made from what looks like park benches — and they are perfect for large groups! Even though we had a rough start to our evening, our waiter ended up being unbelievable — he really knew the menu well and he was full of energy and was very attentive.

We started with a few appetizers — the calamari, yellowtail, and shrimp cocktail. The Standard Grill has a great raw bar selection in case anyone is looking for cocktails and raw bar as a start to their night out.

For a long time I had such a hard time with shrimp cocktail, to me biting into shrimp cocktail felt like I was biting through flesh (or something gross like that). Thank goodness I was able to get past that because I now love chowing down on these fabulous hors d’oeuvres.

Yellowtail on the other hand has always been easy for me to eat. This fish is full of flavor and paired with castelvetrano olives, uni and golden raisins tastes unbelievable! I loved scooping up all of these flavors onto my fork — the yellowtail is a must order if you eat out at The Standard Grill!

Everyone at the table really enjoyed the Charred Spanish Octopus that was served with sweet potato and chilies. The octopus was grilled to perfection and that charred taste was perfectly infused into every bite. I also really enjoyed the extra sweetness from the potatoes and they complimented the rich charred flavoring. Next Christmas when my family makes squid I will be sure to bake-up some cubes of sweet potatoes to serve with the fish!

For my main course I ordered the scallops that were cooked with sesame seeds on top. I had to show you all this photo at a larger size because I wanted you to see how beautiful the seeds look on the scallops. They also tasted incredible! They were served with what to me tasted like a pureed avocado dip that really livened up the scallops’ flavoring.

My boyfriend ordered the duck which was also a great pick off of the menu. Thanks to the blood orange on the dish, the duck had a sweet taste to it’s rich flavoring. Lately, I have really been enjoying duck — I don’t know how I went so long without eating it!

I loved our dessert too! We ordered the plate called “The Deal-Closer” which is described on the menu as a bowl of bittersweet chocolate mousse topped with whipped cream. This is actually made for two people or more and it was the perfect way to end our meal. The presentation for this dessert was pretty cool — the dessert chef got very creative. Personally when I bake, my favorite part is licking the batter off of a spatula. Which is why I felt like a little kid when our bowl of mousse was brought to the table in a traditional glass mixing bowl with two rubber spatulas that were used to scoop up the dessert to put on our own individual plates… But the cutest part was licking the spatula. This got me thinking… Why not use this as a way to serve dessert at a dinner party? People might not think that it’s a “pretty” way to serve chocolate mousse, but it sure will have your guests feeling like little kids again.

Even though I was disappointed that we had to wait an extra 45 minutes even though we had a reservation, I overall really enjoyed my dinner. Plus, the service was impeccable. When can I go back next!?

Locanda Verde in TriBeCa

The other weekend when my friend Brittany was in town, we ventured to some fabulous foodie hot-spots. I love when Brittany visits because she doesn’t feel like the typical visitor like everyone else — she’s ready to explore, she’ll walk from the financial district of Manhattan all the way back to my apartment in Chelsea just so she can explore the city. It’s always exciting for us to galavant around town while searching for hidden jewelry markets and tasty restaurants.

Last winter I had eaten at Locanda Verde in TriBeCa but I sadly haven’t been back since. For those who don’t know, TriBeCa stands for “Triangle Below Canal” and this neighborhood is known for some fabulous restaurants and luxurious lofts that will blow your mind away (if you need specific examples, tune in on Bravo for Million Dollar Listing New York). Well, I had such a great experience at Locanda Verde, I had to take Brittany here.

I was so sad to discover that the ravioli I devoured the first time I was at the restaurant was taken off the menu (I don’t remember exactly what it was, but it was in a brown butter and possibly sage sauce). I understand that restaurants need to change up a menu… but why on earth would you take off such a popular dish that everyone loves? Take off something shitty (like something with pork in it). Speaking of pork, I became overwhelmed when I discovered that about three-fourths of the menu had some sort of pork in it (remember, I don’t eat pork). So we had to be picky — and I hate being picky.

locanda verde food

We settled on some Sheep’s Milk Ricotta crostini for our appetizer. Perfectly fluffy and flavorful ricotta cheese seasoned to perfection with just the simple basics of salt, pepper and a few herbs served with a fantastic rustic bread — yummm. I feel like the majority of ricotta cheese in the United States is fairly bland; but with the perfect seasoning from Locanda Verde I will now bite my tongue before judging ricotta because it was the complete opposite of what my perception of the cheese used to be. When in Italy this past September, my Italian family had us over for a family dinner one evening while we visited Rome. I think my parents and sister would agree with me on this — the home-cooked dinner our family prepared for us was probably the best meal while we were in Italy. My cousin had bought the most flavorful ricotta cheese for us to shred over top of our pasta. It didn’t taste like any other ricotta I have had before and she even told us that it wasn’t the typical ricotta cheese that you usually purchase. If only we could live in Italy and eat like the Italians every single day…

food from locanda verde

I think Brittany would agree with me on this, our favorite entree was the Spice-Glazed Duck served with cavolo nero, faro piccolo, and pomegranate. Every bite we took we made sure to scoop up the faro piccolo and the pomegranate because it added extra flavoring that complimented the juices that came out of the duck meat. Both sweet and savory — it was the best duck I have ever eaten. Quack Quack.

locanda verde food in tribeca

We also ordered a ravioli dish that is no longer on the menu this week — thank goodness! Instead it has been replaced with something called “Fonduta Agnolotti” with figs, walnuts, brown butter and sage — which I think we would have ordered if it was on the menu! The ravioli we got was supposed to be a shrimp scampi ravioli and when our plate arrived we were shocked to find some other types of fish in it that Brittany doesn’t eat. (The menu does a horrible job specifying what food is in each dish. For example, the Lamb Meatball sliders on the appetizer menu sounds fantastic and last second the waiter told us that there was pork in it! Why would a lamb meatball slider have pork in it!?! The same thing with the ravioli and other dishes that shouldn’t have specific ingredients in them unless noted on the menu. That is my biggest complaint about the restaurant.)

locanda verde food

We had a side order of the most delicious potatoes. They were were perfectly seasoned and cooked beautifully. The skin was crunchy and the inside was creamy as if mashed potatoes was what stuffed these large bites of potato. The garlic and parmigiano-reggiano cream sauce on top was impeccable. Thank goodness we ordered this side dish!

Overall the food was great but we were insanely disappointed at how the menu is very deceiving. The ravioli was horrible and I am so happy that they took it off the menu! But, the duck was such a success and I recommend that to be your entree if you venture to this restaurant in TriBeCa!

Mercadito Mexican Restaurant

It’s not that often I make it out to a restaurant for Mexican food. I have to be in the mood for that type of cuisine. It’s probably because I was never exposed to Mexican-style food before the age of 15-years-old. My father doesn’t like the type of food so my mother never made guacamole or fajitas and we definitely never ever went out to a Mexican restaurant.

I’ll never forget the first time I had guacamole — it was on Fire Island when I was 15-years-old and our family friend who I was babysitting for all summer made a bowl of guac for a little BBQ she was going to. I watched as she squished the avocado with a fork and diced up other ingredients. And for some reason before that moment I actually thought avocados were called guacamole. Wow. How much more uneducated could I have gotten? Seriously!

I enjoyed guacamole here and there but it wasn’t until my study abroad when I truly started making it at home myself. It was the easiest and cheapest thing to buy at the local farmers market. The ingredients cost me practically nothing and my boyfriend at the time taught me how to make the tastiest bowl of guacamole. I wish I could share the recipe with you but it’s definitely one of those “a pinch of this and pinch of that” sort of recipe.

So this past weekend, my boyfriend and I saw Iron Lady staring Meryl Streep. I love Meryl, she is my favorite actress and I was so proud of her performance in this film. I truly suggest for everyone to see it in the theater.

We also went out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant after the movie. It was our first time to Mercadito in Alphabet City, and even at 10:30 at night it was packed (good thing I made a reservation). It is such a tiny restaurant and is full of life. We sat in the back room which was much more spacious than the front room where a table practically blocks the main entrance.

Of course we started with an order of guacamole and instead of going the traditional route we ordered the Mango Guacamole. Each bite was full of spice and a refreshing surge of citrus. I can officially announce it — I love mango, especially in guacamole! There’s something about a fantastic balance of spice with an ingredient that satisfies your thirst too!

Instead of ordering main dishes we stuck with ordering a variety of the tacos: the shrimp, the steak, and the chicken. My favorite was the steak followed by the shrimp then the chicken. Each taco plate came with 4 tacos and annoyingly enough you were unable to mix and match your tacos.

We were told by friends that 2 plates of tacos would be enough for 2 people but we didn’t listen and we ended up ordering 3 taco plates and ended up taking a few things home.

Full of flavor and texture the steak and shrimp tacos were outstanding! Made with homemade flour (or were they corn?) tortillas we knew we were eating the freshest of all ingredients out there.

mexican corn on the cob

My favorite part was out order of the Mexican Style corn on the cob! I had been craving it all day and I was determined to eat this with dinner. There’s something about the lime juice and the insanely cheap mexican cheese crumbled on top… and there’s nothing like the spicy toppings that put my mouth on fire! I love it. I love it. I love it. Although this corn on the cob was insanely spicy! WOAH!

I do have one pretty disgusting dinner detail to share with you all. I mean, I almost stopped eating, it really made me gag…

My boyfriend and I were sitting in the back room at the restaurant and it was packed. Everyone was wining and dining on tacos and margaritas and enjoying their Friday night out. If it wasn’t for the large “BANG” I would never have noticed. I was sitting with my back facing the wall and a waiter leaned over the guy next to me at the table next to my boyfriend and I; he leaned over with a rag and crushed a bug on the wall. What bug was it? Well since he was a pretty forceful hit to the wall, my guess is that it was a cockroach. Ew oh my gosh, how damn disgusting is that!? A COCKROACH! The entire room went silent, everyone looked at their food, laughed and kept on eating. I don’t know if it’s because all of New York inhabitants seem jaded or maybe it’s because they know where they live and they deal with it. Barf. How nasty is that!?

So I had a stereotypical dinner at a Mexican restaurant… I managed to have insanely delicious food while watching a waiter smash a cockroach against a wall. Nasty nasty nasty.

Tello’s Ristorante

Last night I had met up with a very close family friend for dinner. I can’t get over that our families have been friends for over a century!

We decided to stay in Chelsea for some Italian food, and his friend recommended Tello’s on the corner of 20th Street and 8th Avenue… a 7 minute walk from my apartment.

I had scouted out the review online a week in advance and of course I eyed down the menu one too many times. And I couldn’t wait to try out this Italian restaurant. After all, it’s always a treat to discover something new/old that’s in my neighborhood!

Immediately when you walk into the space, you’ll notice that it’s similar to a Ma and Pop’s place — with red checkered table clothes and old black and white family photos covering the walls, you knew right away that wearing jeans is totally acceptable here.

the best calamari

As I eyed down the crowd the scene was clearly a mix of folks — from a high-power career-looking woman with her husband still in his work clothes and their typical 12 year old child playing video games at the dinner table. To a group of men giggling, gossiping, and overall just loving their company. To intimate dates spread evenly throughout the restaurant. I loved that this restaurant plays music, but doesn’t blast it. With the high ceilings you’d think that the restaurant would get obnoxiously loud, but it doesn’t!

This is the perfect place to: have a meal without screaming across the table to talk with your date, bring your kids to, dine out casually, and of course to enjoy good food.

To start, we ordered the calamari which was brought out so quickly I didn’t even get a chance to eat my bread. After squeezing the lemon on top, then dunking a piece into the red sauce, I realized how fresh and perfectly seasoned and cooked this fish was. Not only was the fish fresh and perfectly cooked, the red sauce added a lovely zing of heat. I’d give the calamari an A+ in my book!

food at tello

The menu has a large selection of dishes to pick from… it was a good thing I scouted out the menu before arriving. By the time the waiter asked what I would want for my entree I knew I could tell him the Porcini Ravioli (I know, I’m on a mushroom and ravioli kick this week). He also said that the dish was “fantastic.” So of course, I had to order it! My family friend, Dennis, ordered another pasta dish: Rigatoni Tello which included pasta with sweet sausage, tomatoes, peas, and zucchini.

The ravioli was incredible! I love creamy pasta dishes and when it includes mushrooms it is even better! And that’s just what this dish had — lots of mushrooms! Every bite was filled with a cheesy, creamy, and mushroom flavors that all fused so beautifully together.

Dennis loved his pasta dish too! He gobbled it down so fast I had to eat a little faster to catch up.

My only complaint about dinner was that the food was so hot when it came out, I had to let it cool off for a bit before I could take my first bite… It’s not a large complaint in any way, but I was totally tortured by the most delicious smells coming from my plate and I knew I couldn’t eat it right away!

Perbacco, East Village Italian Cuisine

I’ve mentioned this restaurant many times in other posts. I’m in love with the food here and if there was a Perbacco in Chelsea… well, I’d be in major trouble!

My good friend Alexandra introduced me to Perbacco’s sister restaurant, Gnocco when I first moved to the city. Her father is friends with the owner and we got an amazing education on the food at his restaurants. (See my post on Gnocco for more details!) I’ve been to Perbacco many times — with my boyfriend, with my mother, with family, and this past weekend I took some friends from out of town to experience the most delectable Italian food that they will ever experience outside of Italy. (Actually, I think it was better than the majority of meals I had on my recent trip to Italy.) And my friends agreed, the food is outstanding! They are from Boston and they mentioned how much business a restaurant like Perbacco would get if they opened in the Boston area.

My friend Amanda & I outside of Perbacco.

My friend, Amanda, and I reconnected after several years apart. We used to play together as kids when I lived in New Hampshire. Now, as adults we’re keeping in touch once again! At dinner one of her birthday parties from when she was a kid came up. I chuckled and asked if it was the one when she had a magician perform. Her mom laughed and we all remembered that Amanda ruined the magic for all of the kids because she knew the trick involving a hidden rabbit in a hat. Oops! (But also very funny!)

The fluffiest gnocchi I have ever had!

While laughing about the past and catching up on all of the most recent happenings in our lives, we devoured our appetizers, side dishes and entrees. Honestly, I could have kept eating and eating all night long. I strongly believe that if the food is outstanding you will eat it all, even if you aren’t that hungry. There has never been a time I have ever left any of my food on my plate at Perbacco. And some times I wish that I could have leftovers so I could keep enjoying the food the next day. Nope, it never happens. And I never eat pork, but when I am eating at this Italian restaurant I forget about my no pork rule and I pig out.

I went with a safe dish, the gnocchi, and my mother ordered the Ravioli di Zucca con Salsiccia which is kabocha squash ravioli sauteed in brown butter sauce and italian sausage served with amaretto foam on the side. Which in other words means a taste of heaven. My poor mother couldn’t keep my fork away from her plate. Even though the gnocchi was insanely fluffy and full of flavor, I couldn’t help but move over to the sweet ravioli on my mother’s plate. Lesson learned, mom… eat faster next time!

Sweet and filling ravioli from Perbacco.

I always order something different when I come here because the menu often has seasonal dishes. I love that I can expect some of the classics to always be there, but I also look forward to some new surprises. Last winter I had probably the most delicious risotto I have ever tasted — maybe it will return to the menu this winter, or maybe another unexpected dish will be created!