The Spotted Pig is a great "gastropub" in NYC, where I go to grab a drink and a bite often, including April's famous burger with Roquefort cheese and shoestring fries. I had heard they were serving up a great lamb burger at The Breslin, and I knew I had to try it.
The space is cool and hip, with much more room than the "Pig." There is a nice bar up front, with seats along the windows, as well as two small islands that seat around six to eight people each. The dining room is a nice space with an open kitchen in the back. I heard they are opening up a second floor in the weeks to come, as well.
I took my seat at one of the islands and started with a bar snack of pork scratchings ($5). They came in a plastic bag with the date they were made (the same date I was there); cute and tasty-- the perfect bar snack.
Then came the lamb burger ($17) with a French goat feta cheese and onions on a sourdough bun from Balthazar Bakery. The burger was great. It was extremely juicy and perfectly cooked. Part of me craved condiments, but the other part realized the burger was perfect as it was, with the lamb flavor and the French feta perfect complements with one another. Also with the burger came some fabulous thrice cooked chips (french fries) and a cumin mayo, that were delicious!
Of course, since I am on a diet, I talked myself into getting the sticky toffee bread pudding ($9) with Turkish coffee, pear, caramel popcorn, and vanilla bean ice cream. I thought the addition of the Turkish coffee was an ingenious idea that made this a splendid dessert!
The Breslin is definitely a cool place to have a drink and a great bite of some British inspired fare. I think it will definitely be a hot spot for a while. With Stumptown Coffee next door, and of course, the Ace Hotel, this corner of 29th and Broadway is truly bringing "hip" up to the Midtown area!
The Breslin
20 W. 29th St. (bet. 5th and Broadway)
New York, NY 10001
212-679-1939
www.thebreslin.com
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( 3 / 181 )Last week I was invited to a lunch at Bottega Del Vino, a northern Italian restaurant in Midtown I had walked by many times, but never entered. I always thought it was for tourists or for "power lunches", but what I found inside last week, was a charming spot with some unique (and pricey) dishes.
You can't judge a book by its cover. You would never expect from the modern glass exterior, a quaint and charming interior with all its furnishings imported from Italy, including aged wood pillars, marble tops, and etched copper antique chandeliers. This setting really transports you from NYC to Verona. And so does the food.
My dining companion and I decided to have the chef send out what he thought were the "classics" of Bottega Del Vino.
We started with a simple Insalata Mista ($16), a mixed green salad with cherry tomatoes and grilled shrimp. It was a simple salad, beautiful to look at, with two perfectly cooked juicy shrimp.
Next came a special ravioli dish filled with veal in a butter sage sauce. Although I could have used some more flavor inside the ravioli, they were perfectly cooked, delicate, and the sauce was light and soothing.
Our next course was the Risotto all'Amarone Vialone Nano ($24), rice cooked in Amarone wine. This was one of the most unique dishes I have had. It was rich and decadent, and the flavor of the wine was really prevalent throughout the dish. I actually got slightly buzzed!
Next came our meat course of Filetto di Manzo alla Griglia ($42), grilled filet mignon in a mixed pepper sauce. This was quite the cut of meat; perfectly cooked, juicy, tender, and succulent. The mixed pepper sauce was a great complement to the meat too.
I was pretty stuffed at this point, but figured you only live once, so we had an apple creme brulee ($14) and a tiramisu ($13). I'm glad we got these desserts because they were spectacular! The creme brulee was fantastic and the tiramisu was one of the best I have ever had; it was truly mind-blowing!
So for some unique northern Italian cuisine in a transporting setting in Midtown, Bottega Del Vino hits the spot. Come for lunch or dinner, definitely stay for dessert!
Bottega Del Vino
7 E. 59th St. (at 5th Ave)
New York, NY 10022
212-223-2724
www.bottegadelvinonyc.com
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( 3 / 218 )Last week I took a foodie trip to the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. I don't go to casinos often, but was excited to try the food at Mohegan's various restaurants (and catch Robin Williams!).
My first stop was a small bite at Jasper White's Summer Shack. Summer Shack is inspired by a traditional New England clam shack offering an array of local and regional favorites.
I ordered one of each of the oysters ($2.75each) offered, which were fresh and delicious!
I also ordered the crab cakes with apple slaw ($!4) which were light and pleasant.
It was a satisfying seafood bite in a modern casino setting.
Jasper White's Summer Shack
1 Mohegan Sun Blvd
Uncasville, CT 06382
860-862-9500
www.summershackrestaurant.com
My next culinary stop at the Mohegan was dinner at Michael Jordan's Steakhouse. There is a Michael Jordan's Steakhouse in NYC, which I have never been too, so I was excited for my meal.
The space has a very sophisticated and sexy feel to it, with more a of a feminine touch, as opposed to the traditional "old man" steakhouse vibe. It's a large space that was completely packed on the Wednesday night I was dining, most likely with Robin Williams fans.
The food here is great. My waitress recommended their garlic bread with blue cheese fondue ($9). This was a truly decadent dish, addictive, and tasty as heck. I've been trying to diet a tad, so I was using every ounce of self control not too finish it!
For my entree, I chose MJ's Delmonico steak with aged balsamic-ginger-jus ($39). The steak was perfectly cooked, juicy, and tender. It made me reevaluate why I don't go to steakhouses more often!
I was still on a little diet, so I also had a side of the lobster mashed potatoes ($12) and the macaroni and cheese ($9) I really enjoyed the lobster flavor prevalent throughout the potatoes; everything is better with lobster in my opinion! And the mac and cheese was a very pleasant dish as well.
It was a really great meal in a very comfortable setting, perfect for dining before a show at Mohegan Sun's arena, or whenever you get that steakhouse craving.
Michael Jordan's Steakhouse
1 Mohegan Sun Blvd
Uncasville, CT 06382
860-862-8600
www.michaeljordansteakhouse.com
My final meal came in the morning, with breakfast at Todd English's Tuscany. The setting was man-made waterfalls and a mountain, inside the casino, which was pretty interesting. I ordered the Tuscan Benedict ($12), two poached eggs, crispy prosciutto, lobster hollandaise, and fire-roasted potatoes. Of course, I was still on a little diet, so I had to order a side of smoked bacon ($4). This was a great take on the traditional eggs benedict dish, for as I mentioned before; everything is better with lobster! That hollandaise, with actual small chunks of lobster, made this a really enjoyable dish! I, of course, loved the smoked bacon too!
Todd English's Tuscany
1 Mohegand Sun Blvd.
Uncasville, CT 06382
860-862-3238
www.toddenglish.com
The Mohegan Sun is a great place to getaway to satisfy not only your gaming needs, but your culinary needs too!
www.mohegansun.com
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( 2.9 / 217 )Last week I was invited to lunch at London Lennies, a seafood restaurant in Rego Park, Queens, that is celebrating it's 50th anniversary this year. My last time at London Lennies was around twenty years ago, so I was excited for this culinary reunion!
The restaurant is a charming large space, very comfortable for seafood consumption. The restaurant was debuting a new "Seafood on a Shoestring" menu, where for $18 (for lunch) you get a choice of starter, entree, and dessert, which is an amazing deal, and great bang for your buck!
Before the meal came we were all brought a bowl of coleslaw. This was not your ordinary coleslaw though, this was the BEST coleslaw I had ever had! It was so good and addictive, I could not stop eating it throughout the meal.
I ordered the New England clam chowder and the lobster roll.
The chowder was absolutely perfect and delicious. Sometimes restaurants make the chowder too watery, sometimes its too thick, this one was just right, and delicious!
My lobster roll was wonderful; light, simple, and tasty. The fresh lobster was the true highlight of this sandwich- as it should be. It was the perfect lobster roll.
We also ordered a plate of calamari and bay sea scallops for the table.
The calamari was really good and the sea scallops blew my mind. They were very simple, but I could taste the freshness, and they practically melted in my mouth. They were like butter!
My dining companions ordered a chicken breast sandwich and a caesar salad with shrimp, which I didn't try, but I know they were satisfied.
London Lennies is the perfect seafood restaurant. With great fresh seafood being served for 50 years, it truly is an institution in Queens. I'd call it the "king of seafood" of Queens.
London Lennies
63-88 Woodhaven Blvd.
Rego Park, NY 11374
718-894-8084
www.londonlennies.com
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( 3 / 247 )Monday night I was invited to attend the first event for the new "Circle of Taste" club at the Time Warner Center titled "Meat Me Under The Mistletoe". The event took place at Chef Michael Lomonaco's beautiful steakhouse Porter House New York. Porter House is Lomonaco's first restaurant since he cooked at Windows On The World, the restaurant that was located on the top floors of the North Tower in the World Trade Center. It was a very pleasant event with some great charcuterie and a standout mini-burger with onion marmalade!
Sign up now for your chance to win tickets to their next event and get a "taste of the circle"!
www.circleoftaste.com
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