When you think of snacks that are given out at bars and restaurants in New York City, they are generally plain and boring like your everyday peanuts or pretzels. Well long gone are those days for these particular restaurants, who are supplying their customers with tasty and delicious snacks, all complimentary. Who knew these items, with such elevated taste and sophistication, could be included as a freebie for your meal? Check out which ones really dazzled our taste buds while not pinching our pockets at all. [Read more…] about The Best Complimentary Snacks in New York City
midtown
From My Archives- A Beatiful, Snowy Photoshoot
On occasion, I will go through some of my catalog of work and look back on certain periods of my work. Since we are in the last depressing months of this New York City winter I decide to pull out some photos I took a few years ago during a frigid, snowy photo walk. I remember this walk well since about half way through the telescopic focus on my lens broke.
I was trying to capture how New York life still goes on despite a horrible storm. Until my lens broke… I still was able to capture some photos but all in all, you might consider this an outtake collection.
[Read more…] about From My Archives- A Beatiful, Snowy Photoshoot
NYY Steak Hits It Out Of The Ballpark… And More
As someone who has been a lifelong New York Mets fan, a struggling one per se, I tend to narrowly avoid anything that has do to with the Yankees. I mean, when you grow up with the last name Shea it is sort of embedded in your system to ultimately root for the Mets even though in recent years a local high school team has a better shot at getting to The World Series than they do. I blame that on the name change from Shea to Citifield, but I digress. Luckily, I had a huge change of heart when I visited their official restaurant called NYY Steak this past Wednesday. Located right in the heart of midtown Manhattan on 51st between 5th and 6th Avenue (with alternate locations at Yankee Stadium and Coconut Greek in Florida), NYY Steak is to fine dining what the Yankees are to baseball- just great. This is their quote, which I was originally hesitant by, however after my experience I can truthfully say that statement couldn’t be… truer.
The location itself is quite grand upon arrival. The space is two floors and seeing as it is fine dining I would highly recommend not showing up in a pair of jeans and t-shirt and maybe getting a bit dressed up (nothing they said to me on their part, but I should’ve known better based off what I was wearing). Something that was fascinating about NYY Steak was that the plates that we were served on were the traditional colors of the New York Yankees- blue and white. That may not seem so spectacular but what made it cool was that each plate had a number of a legendary Yankee player imprinted on the top of it. So you had your run of the gamut of players like Yogi Berra and Joe DiMaggio’s numbers just to name a few while you are dining on their delectable items that they serve. The service was top notch as well, with their impeccable wait staff accommodating me and my friend at every stop and recommending the best of the best that was on their menu that night.
The menu itself for the main part is Americana at its best, from its 21 day USDA Steaks (butchered in house) to its incredible line of Seafood, NYY Steak has got you covered. Let’s go through what in my opinion you should have while you are dining there. If you are looking to start off with a soup and salad, I would recommend The Crab Bisque with cream & sherry and Ozzie’s Spinach Salad with dried cherries, pine nuts, roasted bell peppers, BACON and shaved asiago cheese in a cherry vinaigrette dressing. The bisque itself was quite warm and creamy and the Alaskan King Crab was cooked perfectly. I for one am not the biggest spinach fan however combined with all the elements it made for one tasty salad.
Moving onto the appetizers might I suggest two words- STEAK BACON. Yes, pictured about you have their steak bacon which is cured and smoked in house. Putting two of my favorite meats together in one tasty bite really is quite the treat itself, and their steak bacon is no exception. Another tasty option is of course a classic Colossal Shrimp Cocktail with a horseradish cocktail sauce and something that you can get as an entree but we actually opted to get them as an appetizer.
This is their Dry Aged Lamb Chops, which if you ordered as an entree would come as two double-cut chops and rubbed with fresh rosemary & roasted garlic. However, they were gracious enough to make them for us in a lollipop format, where we could literally pick them up and eat them off the bone. I don’t know if it was the rub or the way they cooked the meat, but honest to god this has got to be one of the best tasting meats I have ever experienced in my life. The flavor on them is insane and can dual well if you want to share with others or have for yourself as an entree. Heck, its so good it even got its own paragraph on here. So that is saying something.
For a main course option, outside of the lamb chops, a good classic choice would be their Filet Mignon which comes in a 6, 8 or 12 Oz. Cooked perfectly and can pair well with any of their yummy sides like Lobster Mac N Cheese & Garlic Mashed Potatoes which they provided us with. Something that they also do is that if you order a particular steak they will carve whatever you would like onto the bone of it. No kidding, look above. I was short of in shell shock when they told me about this originally and even in more shock when they presented it to me. I mean, my name and website on a steak. That I can keep, as a memento. Totally awesome.
To finish the meal off with something sweet, try their classic New York Style Cheesecake, Chocolate Covered Pretzels or Creme Brulee as it a great way to end. 10/10 in my book for so many different reasons. For more information on NYY Steak’s three locations, menus and so much more, check out their official site.
Check Out New Hot Spot Mastro’s Steakhouse In Midtown
Who the heck doesn’t like Steak? (Besides Vegans/Vegetarians/Pescatarians, ugh just writing this is exhausted). Steakhouses run the muck here in New York City, with many of them offering a variety of foods inside and outside of steak to appeal to your appetite. Luckily, for all of my readers I have discovered this great new spot right in the heart of midtown that combines great tasting food, music, setting and location all into one. I am talking about Mastro’s Steakhouse, located on 52nd and 6th Avenue right in the heart of midtown and across the street from the world famous Rockerfeller Center. Here is some more about the new location.
Mastro’s Steakhouse opened its doors in New York City on Wednesday, November 12 as the twelfth Mastro’s Restaurant location in the U.S and the first on the East Coast. The iconic restaurant celebrated by diners and critics alike is renowned for indulgent, signature dishes such as their two-foot-tall seafood tower, lobster mashed potatoes, and melt-in-your-mouth Signature Warm Butter Cake.
The upscale steakhouse is located in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, convenient to New York’s Central Park, Rockefeller Center, across from Radio City Music Hall and a wealth of high-end shopping and museums nearby. Mastro’s will offer a first-class dining experience with the highly attentive, genuine service and hospitality that guests have come to expect.
The menu, traditionally consistent across all of Mastro’s Steakhouse locations, features only the highest quality, freshest seafood and USDA Prime steaks, complemented with a wide selection of sharable appetizers, family-style side dishes and house-made desserts. Lunch is served Monday – Friday from 11:30am – 3pm and will offer salads, sandwiches and burgers in addition to Mastro’s legendary menu items.
“New York City is the center of the universe, and arguably the top culinary destination in the world. It was natural to choose this market, already brimming with high-caliber restaurants, as the next evolution of Mastro’s,” said President and COO Mark Levy. “We’re very excited to serve the New York City community, as well as the many people who visit each year, with our beloved dishes and outstanding attention to the dining experience.”
I took a friend to Mastro’s a week ago to experience all the hoopla first hand and was quite impressed by a lot of things. First off, I loved how it was two levels as depending on your noise level it can really make or break your night. On the top level there was this fantastic band playing for a more uptempo crowd, and on the lower level was a bit more relaxed and a calm atmosphere, per se. We decided to sit on the lower level and were treated with the utmost professionalism by the entire staff. It was quite wonderful. Mastro’s itself is very buzzy by nature and was jam packed, which is fantastic for any establishment on a Friday night, yet our needs were attended to ten fold and we got our food in a swift and efficient matter regardless of how busy it was. That is a huge key in how good a restaurant can keep up with things especially under the added pressure of a large amount of people inside.
Now onto the food of course. The food itself was beyond out of this world and was savory and satisfying in every way possible. So let’s hypothetically say you are eating a meal with someone else and you want to navigate the best route from start to finish. For an appetizer, I would recommend going BIG and getting The Seafood Tower as it is a combination of all your favorite seafood all in once tower of deliciousness. If I were to recommend a soup I would go with a personal favorite, The Lobster Bisque. I can’t stand when I go to places the the bisque is thin and runny. In my opinion, a Lobster Bisque is supposed to be thick with a great creamy texture, and that was my experience in trying this. Both great choices to start your meal off.
The picture above of the Lobster Mashed Potatoes doesn’t describe just how truly delicious it tasted in person. It was their best side dish of all the side dishes that we tried, but that doesn’t knock how delicious other side dishes were like the Gorgonzola Mac N Cheese, Roasted Brussel Sprouts or Creamed Corn and Spinach. Absolutely delightful. For the main courses, I surprisingly didn’t go the steak route (although the options run the gamut from Filet, Strip and Ribeye) and tried the Herb Roasted Chicken. The skin on the chicken was salted generously and tasted freaking amazing, and the chicken itself was cooked to perfection. My friend opted for the Rack Of Lamb which was plentiful in size and just like the chicken was cooked perfectly and tasted great.
Finish the meal off with their Signature Butter Cake, with fresh ice cream on top and whipped cream on the side. Heaven doesn’t describe. Overall a 10/10 in my book. Next time you are in midtown and want to try out a great new location I would recommend Mastro’s completely. For more information on Mastro’s, check out their official site.
Strip House Brings Tasty Steaks & So Much More
Strip House- Not Just Your Average Steak Joint My Friends
With the exceptions of the vegetarians and any algorithm of the sort, Steak has to be one of the best foods on the planet. There is such a variety in how many ways that it is prepared that you are bound to find at least one or two ways to cook it, marinate it and enjoy it to your hearts content. But what happens when you take that idea and elevate it, surround it with a bunch of fascinating sides, and finish it with some impressive desserts? You get Strip House, located in the heart of both midtown and Greenwich Village. The midtown location, opened for about two years, was nice enough to host myself and a guest last night and we got to taste the array of flavors that truly make going to Strip House quite the unique experience if I do say so myself. Here is a little more about Strip House as a whole. [Read more…] about Strip House Brings Tasty Steaks & So Much More
Gaby Brasserie Francaise- What is French for Delicious?
When it comes to dining in New York City, you have your endless amounts of cultural food experiences that you can enjoy in any of the five boroughs. However, for the ones who work around the midtown area, you are left with a ton of chain restaurants and your run of the mill local deli which doesn’t exactly leave you wanting more. Gaby Brasserie in The Sofitel New York on West 45th Street has proven itself to change your mind on how you can find a unique and delicious spot right in the heart of Midtown. This spot bodes a ton of convenience for me as I work directly across from it and walk past it on a daily basis yet never went inside to experience just how amazing this place is. Luckily for me, I got the chance to do some tastings last week with a good friend of mine and suffice to say we were both blown away by the technique, flavor and overall presentation of each dish.
The food was prepared by Sylvain Harribey, the hotel’s award-winning executive chef and a recent winner of the Food Network’s Chopped (one of my personal favorite shows. I gotta find the episode that he was on!) His friendly demeanor in presenting each course definitely gave me a better sense of the restaurant as a whole, which had a warm and inviting feeling to it upon entrance. The first course, or the “Amuse Bouche” that was presented to us was a Butternut Squash Cappuccino. I am normally not a fan of Butternut Squash Soup due to how sweet it is, yet this was presented in a great duality of sweet and savory for sure. Great balance and an overall great start to the meal. For our appetizer, I got to experience for the first time in my 27 years of existence Foie Gras, which is the liver of a duck or goose. As odd as it sounds, I was apprehensive due to this being a new type of food that I have never experienced before, but just like the soup I was pleasantly surprised by the taste of each way the Foie Gras was presented to us. The first one was a Foie Gras spring roll with Prosciutto, fig and mixed greens. The second was a Sesame crusted foie gras au torchon served on Brioche. The third option was Pan Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras over sweet potato mash with an Asian Vinaigrette. All were delicious but I would have to say that the latter was my favorite due to the contrast of the mash with the Vinaigrette.
For our entree and sandwich courses (Because you really can’t have one without the other, right?) we were treated to two very different delicacies that were packed with flavor and punch in its own right. For the entree, we were presented with Oven Roasted Dijon Lamb Loin on a crushed white bean puree flavored with pumpkin seed oil, vegetable tian gratine (eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, roma tomato, Provencal herbs and Parmesan cheese). As odd as it sounds, my favorite part of this dish happened to be the gratine due to the enormity in flavor that Chef Harribey prepared for each of the vegetables. Don’t get me wrong, the Loin was off the chain, but sometimes the supporting roles play just as much importance as the main star. For the Sandwich, it was what they like to call the “Franburger”– Served on a crispy baguette with melted brie cheese, lettuce, tomato and Provencale fries. I am not one for brie really on anything with the exception of a Ritz cracker, however it tasted really well and balanced with the burger and baguette. I am a big fan of french fries, and the sprinkling of Provencale on top of them really made it tasty and balanced with the burger.
We were then treated to an assortment of mini desserts including Caramel Cake and Creme Brulee to name a couple. Overall this was an astonishing meal, and I can totally see how Chef Harriby not only won “Chopped” but also runs such a successful establishment with some of the most professional staff me and my friend have ever experienced. Overall, a 4.5 out of 5 stars in my book!
What’s even better is what they have planned for Valentine’s Day on Friday. It is a Valentine’s Day menu so studded with aphrodisiacs it warrants a tongue-in-cheek “consume at your own risk.” The seduction begins with an amuse bouche of East Coast oyster with shallot raspberry vinegar, followed by a choice of pan-seared Hudson Valley foie gras with sweet potato purée and fig sauce or an assortment of smoked fishes served with mậche lettuce, avocado, citrus and vinaigrette. For their main dish, patrons can choose Filet de Boeuf – a pan-seared Angus beef tenderloin with almond, cauliflower and potato purée served with grilled asparagus and topped with green peppercorn sauce – or Sole Roulade with basil salmon mousse, fennel and vegetable gratin, and a sauce of saffron and fine herbs. Dessert is a delectable Saint Honoré of raspberry mousse with crème chiboust topped with Grand Marnier sauce.
Sounds insanely yummy! For more information on The Gaby Brasserie, be sure to visit their website! Definitely a place to check out for Valentine’s Day and beyond!
Pescatore- Traditional meets Delicious meets Happiness
Pescatore and great food go together like Peanut Butter & Jelly.
I am the first person to admit that fish to me is never the first thing I am looking to order when I go to a restaurant that has a meat or pasta option on the menu. So when I first heard of a place called “Pescatore” I had to mentally change my game palate up due to thinking that everything on the menu was fish related. I was wrong, yet at the same time pleasantly surprised with the entire meal (which included some of the best fish I have ever had, more to come later). My friend and I went there a week ago and were treated like kings in so many different ways. Here is more about our great experience.
Pescatore itself has such a warm and friendly vibe to it that is nestled in the heart of Midtown East. The service was spectacular throughout the meal, and I got a chance to talk a little more with the owner Charles Devigne, who is celebrating the restaurant’s 20th Anniversary this year (Congrats!). He started us off with a bevy of appetizers, all of which were unique in their own right but had great depth of flavors to them. My personal favorite was the risotto balls with the truffle aioli sauce, something that we got a sneak peek of because they aren’t currently on the menu! Hooray for behind the scenes access! We were told this was something that was being placed back on the menu eventually, to which I agree with that decision. Better yet, do it sooner because my mouth is watering thinking about how damn good they were. One thing that my friend was a big fan of that didn’t really work for me was the ricotta cheese with chives, pease, hazelnuts, honey, and mint. It might have been a bit much for my palate but it was still tasty to say the least.
We also were treated to two different types of pasta dishes. One was Linguine alla Vongole which included steamed little neck clams with Chorizo, green onions, toasted garlic and fresh parsley. The other was Spaghetti Carbonara with pancetta, caramelized onions, pecorino and egg. Once again, my friend and I had a difference in opinion as I thought the latter was better than the former, yet both were equally delicious. It was just a matter of our taste buds. Out of all the dishes that we had, hands freaking down the best thing from the entire night was the Chilean Sea Bass. Chilean Sea Bass is one of the few seafood that I really enjoy personally, as it is foodporn to the umpteenth level. I can say this was the best Sea Bass I have ever sank my lips into, and that is because the supporting cast really made the star shine. The bass was surrounded by peas, porcini farro and brown butter vinaigrette with a cauliflower, currant and almond condiment. So amazingly yummy.
After all of that, the last dish that we had of course was dessert, which was a homemade cheesecake. Delicious and then some. Overall, an 8.5 out of 10 in my book. Great place to go to if you want some hearty Italian cooking with an edge and an overall great environment. Check out Pescatore’s official website for more information on menus and location. Definitely worth the visit!
Pescatore
955 2nd Avenue
New York, NY 10022
212-752-7151