chelsea

Moran’s Chelsea- Warm, Friendly & Delectable

Moran’s Food & Ambiance Keeps You Warm & Satisfied

Now that the weather is getting much colder and the holiday season is upon us, we can bask in the glow of meeting with friends and family and enjoying a nice hearty meal with each other. One of the best places to get all of the above is “Moran’s Chelsea” which is nestled between 19th and 20th Street on 10th Avenue. After browsing their website and reading a ton of rave reviews online, my friend and I were anxiously awaiting to see what all the buzz was all about. After we left, we collectively gathered our thoughts about the place and found that we could sum it up in three simple words- Warm, Friendly and above all, Delectable, which is why I titled the article as such. Here is why.

Warm- The place itself gives off a warm and comforting ambiance with its colorful design and beautiful wooden floors. They decorated the place in fall colors and had beautiful paintings adorn the walls to give the place an pop of color. The seating was roomy and spacious and had a quiet setting which I happen to prefer.

Friendly- I for one can vouch for the fact that the food at a restaurant can be some of the most delicious food in the world, but if the service that is provided is terrible it can make the food taste like something that was in a dumpster for five days. This was much different. We were greeted very pleasantly and had our coats checked, something that I see rarely happen in a lot of the restaurants in New York City. Our waitress Jenny was a delight to talk to throughout and was very descriptive and helpful in choosing our course selections throughout the night. So far, so good as far as I see it.

Delectable- This can’t be a food review of course without talking about the freaking food, which was truly off the chain! A good portion of the menu happened to be seafood but there was plenty of pasta and poultry dishes to satisfy many a different appetites. My friend and I shared the fried calamari which came with two different types of sauces. Normally I find that calamari is either under seasoned or vice versa, but in this case the seasoning on it was just the right amount and it tasted fantastic. Second course was the butternut squash soup, which had just the right balance of savory and sweetness.

Seeing as Chicken Pot Pie is a personal favorite of mine, especially this time of year, I bee-lined for that option and was not let down. They even add another layer of a flaky crusty type of bread on top of it that melts into the stew as you eat it. The chicken was cooked perfectly and the vegetables were just plain yummy. To top it off,, I finished the evening with a yummy and delicious Creme Brulee which had an amazingly sweet custard filling and a hard caramel on top of it that really balanced each other out.

Overall, a 9 out of 10 in my book. Something that is definitely worth going to see. Check out Moran’s official website for more information, and if you are ever perusing in Chelsea for what is the next best restaurant then Moran’s is definitely the place to go.

Moran’s Chelsea

146 10th Ave, New York, NY 10011

212-627-3030

Menswear on a budget: Summer 2013 Fashion Trends

by Ryan Shea

As someone who puts an importance on wearing things that are fashionable yet affordable, I find Summer to be that one season where you can get the best of both worlds and so much more. Colors are vibrant, skin in showing, and the options are limitless when wanting to show off what you are wearing in this fabulous beach weather. So where can you go to find the best trends at a great price? Check out some of these awesome stores (both national and local) and see for yourself!

If you want good pricing and fantastic outfits, you really can look no further than Old Navy. They are famous for doing both things and it isone of the reasons why they are one of the more successful clothing brands in the United States. Pairing off something as simple as a pair of board shorts, a classic tee and a lightweight jersey zip will only cost around $50 dollars. They tailor each season by what is on trend nationally and use that to keep themselves a cut above the rest. Check out oldnavy.com to see for yourself!

Urban Outfitters is trendier in certain areas of the country, most notably from what I have seen in New york City. They tend to have ahipster flair yet overall their outfits can translate very well with whatever you have going on. They have a great line of t shirts that add a lot of humor into them (like the one seen here) all for $15 dollars. On top of the t shirts they also have a great variety of henleys, polos and collared shirts to keep you on trend all summer long. Check out their website for more info!

Nasty Pig in my opinion is one of the most innovative clothing brands out there today. I did an article about them a couple of months ago talking about the brand and where they see themselves headed for the 2013 calendar year. And boy have they done a lot. Located in the heart of Chelsea, the store provides a bunch of great clothing options at really affordable prices. A lot of their most trendy items happen to be on sale right now, including this great skull tee pictured to your left. If you want to go outside the grain of stores like Old Navy and Gap for instance, this is the place to go. Go check out these sale items and so much more and don’t forget to visit Nasty Pig at 265 West 19th Street between 7tn and 8th avenue.

Crunch Fitness’ in Chelsea- Why it’s the best

by Ryan Shea

We are all looking for ways to stay in shape, especially with bathing suit season coming up in a few short weeks (although mother nature seems to think differently). There are a bevy of different gyms you can go to in the New York City area, but which one is the best to go to? In my opinion, that one is Crunch Gym. They recently opened a brand new location in Chelsea, it’s third location in the big apple. The location is at 220 West 19th Street between 7th and 8th avenue, wedged in the heart of the Chelsea district. [Read more…] about Crunch Fitness’ in Chelsea- Why it’s the best

Catfish the TV Show: Addictive for all the right reasons.

by Ryan Shea

I have to say in recent years MTV has sure put out some shows that I would rather run into a knife than watch, most recently Buckwild and the gem of all gems Teen Mom, which is making thousands of girls pregnant and money hungry as I type this post. It didn’t seem too long ago when I was growing up that shows like Fanatic, Total Request Live and The Real World (when it was good and documentary-ish) were filling their airwaves of a once thriving network. Lately though, that sparkle and luster is gone from a network that is completely devoted to programming (why on earth there is still a VMA every year beats me).

Yet, they seemed to have strike it gold with their new reality show “Catfish”, which premiered back in November. The show centers around its star Nev Schulman, who made the movie of the same name two years ago. It is based off of people you develop a relationship online, yet never meet in person, or Skype/Facetime either. His whole purpose of the show was that “Catfish the movie was my story, Catfish the TV show is yours”. Pretty simple, right? Sure. Then, no matter what the topic is, shit always gets real and by the end the show has more twists and turns than a bad Lifetime movie (it’s your opinion if that is a good reference, but you get it).

Take the premiere episode. Cute nursing student Sunny thought she had been talking to a model out in Los Angeles called Jamison for quite sometime. Her younger sister actually talked to him first. Yet during the whole eight months they talked, they never did it in front of a camera. Finally, Nev to the rescue! After doing some research (he does this in every episode, and it seems like anyone can, just pointing that out there) both Nev and Sunny travel to find that the person they were talking to isn’t a drop dead gorgeous model, but in fact a teenage girl named Chelsea. Chelsea in return said she made the profile due to the incessant bullying she was dealing with on a daily basis, and wanted to create an alternate life in a way where she felt like she could be accepted. All hell breaks loose but by the end there isn’t too much harm done and everyone goes their separate ways.

I’m sorry, I would be having serious issues if I was Sunny. For so many different reasons. I felt bad for her the whole time but at the same time you have to wake up and realize this person you think you are talking to isn’t real. Why do I say this? Because just like every other gay man, woman, and even straight man to a certain degree, I have done online dating. Whether it’s an app or a site, I have been there, and still do. The thing for me is unless you are far away or there is a chance you are visiting the Tri-State area I don’t really have the need to talk to you beyond a certain point. It’s not rude, it’s just honest. If you are in Australia, and ask to see certain parts of me, what is the point? Can’t go through someone’s phone and grab it now right? Ugh, I digress.

I have been in Sunny’s situation where I have talked to guys from far away, and there have been several few exceptions of ones that really get my interest. But, within two or three days of talking, we always Facetime or Skype. That way, I know you are real and not cray cray. Moral of the story to everyone reading this and watching the show is always make sure you know who you are talking to. That way, you don’t end up sad and really embarassed in front of millions of people. I think the show is fantastic though for several reasons. It has done a couple of episodes focusing around the LGBT community, especially transgendered which of all those letters doesn’t really get the most attention. It’s done in a non-judgemental way and people can see that when they watch the show, so kudos to Nev.

Bottom line, I am hooked. Watch the show. Debate it for yourself.

Have you ever been in a catfish situation? What do you think of the show? Sound off!

chelsea

Moran’s Food & Ambiance Keeps You Warm & Satisfied

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