Trot on Over to Casa di Isacco Trattoria

Walking down 9th ave between 40th & 41st you will likely notice a sudden patch of lush greenness with some appetizing lobsters, pork shank, and cheeses dangling in the window. In one of those funny hiding in plain sight ways, you still might not notice that it's a restaurant or ever think to go in. But if you do choose to step through the greenery and over the threshold where a water fountain and more plants greet you, you will quickly leave the hustle bustle of the city behind you.

Schmackarys is Lip Schmackin Good

Schmackarys

I was walking home through Hell's Kitchen this evening and wanted a snack when I spotted Schackarys which I've always walked by when it was either already closed for the evening or I was too full to even think about dessert.  It's a cute little shop and the smell of the coffee and the fact that they called it "Broadway Blend" prompted me to buy a bag alongside with my treats.

Are You Achin' for Some BarBacon?

BarBacon: Old Fashioned & The Drunken Preacher

For some reason there is a bar devoted to serving Craft Beer, Bourbon, and Bacon-centric food 2 blocks from my office and I've never heard of it. That is, until I received an invite to a Happy Hour located there next month. However, I couldn't wait a month to check it out, so tonight The Mr. and I decided it would be a great pre-theatre spot before our show at the nearby Neil Simon Theatre.

Salute a Sergimmo Salumeria

Sergimmo: Meat Arancini

Our holiday weekend trip to do the Bourbon Trail was cancelled due to the general suckiness of the weather we've been having in NYC this year, so today we found ourselves milling around our apartment when the subject of lunch came up. Our instinct was to order sandwiches from our local fave Bottino Take-Out, but we decided some fresh air would do us good. I've had Sergimmo Salumeria bookmarked for a while due to the raves of other bloggers such as NYC Food Guy.

Chez Napolean Conquers Our Hearts

Chez Napoleon: Escargots de Bourgogne

We've been on a bit of a French food kick since The Mr recently had the breakthrough that French food is not just hoity-toity food, but in fact buttery, culinary goodness. We were looking for a new French Bistro to try so I set out on The Googles and finally settled on Chez Napoleon. I was a bit nervous, because it had some very mixed reviews, but after reading through them, I felt like I had a pretty good picture of what kind of evening we were in for.

The Michelin Quest: Danji

We were headed to the Booth Theatre to see The Glass Menagerie tonight, so wanted to try a new Pre-Theatre spot in Hell's Kitchen. One of our 2014 goals is to try to knock out more NYC Michelin starred restaurants so decided to try out modern Korean 1-starred Danji. The Mr. started with the Su Jung Kwa cocktail which featured rye whiskey, cinnamon, ginger, & jujube and I started with the "Korean Pear" with vodka, star anise, & cinnamon. The meal was off to a great start because these cocktails were both super delicious. I was initially excited to try the "Perfect Date" as my next drink, but was so enamored with the "Su Jung Kwa"'s cinnamony warmth that I abandoned that and we ordered another round of those.

Cafe 57 How do I love thee?

Cafe 57: Pecan Croissant Donut

I have the distinct pleasure of working in the Hearst Tower and therefore get to enjoy the offerings of Cafe 57 on an almost daily basis. I'm always impressed with the quality and diversity of their offerings, so though I was very pleasantly surprised to see a Cronut impersonator delivered from their kitchens, I was not shocked. This was actually my first experience with a cronut-like creation and it was an absolute delight. I expected it to be pretty darn good, but this far surpassed my expectations. Kudos to the Cafe 57 Chefs!

Update: Gazala's Place

Spinach Bourekas

It's hard to believe, but it's been a little over a year since I first visited Gazala's Place with my parents. We absolutely loved it (they've even gone back on their own!). So when we found ourselves out again in Midtown West with empty stomachs, we stopped by a liquor store to grab a couple of bottles of wine (it's BYOB), then made a beeline back to this great Israeli Druze joint.

L'Ybane is Twice as Nice

L'ybane

A girlfriend and I needed a quick, impromptu pre-theatre meal, and I literally just walked around until I stumbled upon L'Ybane. A wine bar with hummus sounded very promising, so we decided to give it a go. 

Anejo Tequileria To Kill Some Time

Anejo Tequileria

My friend and I were wandering around the Theatre District between shows, looking for a little place to grab a drink when we spied this charming little tequileria on the corner of 47th and 10th Ave. The doors and windows were flung wide open, letting in the sunlight and surprisingly fresh breeze.

A New Go To: Kyotofu

Kyotofu Goodies

I was wandering around Hell's Kitchen with some friends, when one of them suggested getting some desserts from Kyotofu. I was intrigued by this tiny Japanese restaurant/bakery packed with people. I hadn't heard of it before, but I seemed to be in the minority. We fought our way in the door to get our little snacks and ate them out on the sidewalk. I was extremely full from dinner, so just got the cute little Matcha Green Tea Mini Cupcake, but everything looked AMAZING. I have mentally bookmarked this place for a romantic date night with The Mr. sometime in the (hopefully) near future!

Center Stage: Shake Shack (Theatre District)

We here at Newbie Foodies are huge fans of Shake Shack and go to the original location at Madison Square Park on a fairly regular basis (especially The Mr). We have now visited the relatively newer Theatre District location several times now and feel like we can definitely weigh in. Every time we've come it has been later in the evening after a show and there has never been much of a line. We've also only had to wait a minute or two for a table, so not too shabby on those fronts.

What've we eaten? Well of course we've had the burgers and cheese fries and found them to absolutely measure. In fact, since all of our visits have been this winter, the food has been better considering we didn't have to eat them in the freezing cold or wait until we got home until stuffing them in our mouths.

All Hail the Queen of Sheba

Queen of Sheba

A New Year, A New Day and my out of town guests and I were looking for a good place to fill up our bellies and recover from a festive New Year's Eve. We were in the mood for something spicy, warm, and filling so I suggested Ethiopian food and was met with enthusiasm from my friends. I did a little internetting around and Queen of Sheba came out ahead as the people's favorite, so we loaded up into a cab and headed up 10th Ave.

Filling the Albert Hall

Special Appetizer 

Bangers & Mash

Purchased a Prix Fixe Dinner for 2 at Albert Hall Tavern on Living Social that I needed to use up, so invited my Dad for a night out. I thought it was a bit odd that it was paired with a bottle of wine, since to me a Gastropub is a place to drink beer and they have a great selection. But oh well, beggers can't be choosers I suppose. 

Tell Everyone about Don't Tell Mama

Baked Brie with Apple Slices and Raspberry Sauce 

Fried Green Beans

To end our anniversary date night, we headed over to Don't Tell Mama to enjoy their Piano Bar evening. When we got there the crowd was light, but over the next hour it got packed. It's obviously heavy on the show tunes (I mean, hello, Theatre District), but they did a good job mixing in some oldies too. The whole waitstaff gets in on the act, which is nice since it breaks up the monotony of the one man show. 

Glowing Hotness at The Ember Room

We decided to celebrate our Two Year Wedding Anniversary by redeeming our Thrillest Reward Dinner for Two at Ember Room. This tasting menu pitted Todd English's dishes against Chalermkittichai's. We were ready to be official judges and took our responsibility quite seriously.

Gaga for Gazala Place

My parents are in town and I needed a new pre-theatre place that would be quick and unpretentious. I did a little research and kept coming across this Gazala Place being mentioned. It sounded delicious and low key- perfect for my parents. This place is small, doesn't have much in the way of atmosphere, and is BYOB. All good signs that the food is the main event.

Gazala's Platter

It don't mean a thing at Swing 46

One of my dearest friends came to visit and wanted to share her latest passion with us- swing dancing! With the help of the internets she found Swing 46 a Jazz & Supper Club and we put on our dancing shoes. The moment we walked in, I was enchanted. The lights were low and the band was hot, it was purely the stuff out of movies. Martinis seemed like the perfect accompaniment and we ordered Oysters Rockefeller, Mini Beef Wellingtons, Calamari, and Asparagus as well. I wasn't expecting much out of the food since I figured being a dance/bar setting was the primary function, so was delighted to find the food was delicious. They had a free dance lesson after the first set and The Mr and I were hooked. Looks like we've found our next hobby.

To be clear, I didn't get the impression that this is necessarily the place to find the New York local swing scene. Being midtown, it was definitely geared towards tourists and newcomers to swing who are looking to have a great experience- which fit the bill perfectly for us. However, my friend found herself dancing with the instructor a lot since most of the people were pre-coupled. I would definitely recommend stopping by if you find yourself in midtown looking for some cheap entertainment!

The Going is Good at Ca Va

Bread and First Wine Tasting 

We had a great experience with a Gilt City tasting menu for two with wine pairings at Olives, so when Todd English's midtown restaurant Ca Va came up, I was quick to snag one. We've been quite busy lately, and to my dismay, I suddenly realized that the certificate had expired. I gave them a desperate call and they graciously let us come in and still redeem it. This surprised me and I wanted to mention since I don't believe a lot of places would have done this.

Our meal started with a Bacon Potato Salad: maple glazed bacon, caramelized red onions, fried chick peas, and fingerling potatoes served over a garlic aoili and garnished with powdered sumac. This was my favorite dish and it made me really wonder about the characteristics necessary to classify something as a salad. Don't be fooled, not a whole lot of veggies happening here.

Bacon Potato Salad

CREPINETTE A LA CREVETTE ET QUEUE DE BOEUF

jumbo prawn, oxtail rillettes, horseradish cream

warm fingerling potato salad with mustard seed

This dish was a very close runner-up for favorite. Very intense mustard and horseradish flavors which somehow worked together instead of one overpowering the other. If you aren't a big horseradish or mustard fan, I would absolutely not recommend ordering this. If however, those flavors appeal to you, you might want to run to Ca Va to order this right now.

Lamb Stew

Our third course was a French lamb shoulder stew with peas, turnips, carrots, onions, potatoes, garlic, celery, tarragon in white wine and clarified broth. We aren't the biggest lamb fans so weren't as excited about this one, however, it was still quite good.

Dessert Plates

Finally, for dessert there was a chocolate cake with a ganache center served with homemade vanilla marshmallows and homemade graham crackers to create a modern S'mores twist. In case that wasn't enough, they also threw in some petit fours to sweeten the deal. Pun intended.

Like Olives, this is a swanky, modern place perfect for when you want to feel metropolitan and chic. The service was spectacular and the food was incredible. This is a great option when you need a special pre or post theatre dining option.

9 out of 10

I had purchased a Gilt City tasting menu for 9 Restaurant, so when a special occasion presented itself (The Mr's Birthday) it seemed like a good time to try it out. Oh yah, and I needed to use it before it expired as these special deals always seem to do so quickly.

Pretzel Bread with Mustard Seed Butter

Ooooh boy. I knew a big meal was ahead of us, so I was determined to taste the bread and move on, but they found my soft spot with this pretzel-like doughy bread served with butter filled with whole mustard seed. I had my half and would have had more...

Lobster Pigs In a Blanket

Brisket Sliders

For our appetizer course we went with an order of Brisket Sliders and an order of Lobster Pigs in a Blanket. They were both soooo tasty. I was convinced that the subtle lobster flavor would be drowned out by the dough and sauces, but thankfully it turned out to be quite the opposite. The lobster flavor shined through. The brisket was moist and tender, the bread fresh and tasty, and the mini pickle and cherry tomato just pushed me over the edge.

Pork Shank

I really wish we had taken this picture with one of our hands in it to be able to give you some perspective. You really don't get a sense of just how massive this pork shank is. It was so big that, truth be told, even The Mr was kind of thrown off. I really intended to try and make a soup from the leftovers, but unfortunately had a crazy week.

Skate "Schnitzel"
Background: Tempura Cauliflower

The Tempura Cauliflower was ridiculously good, the dipping sauce added the perfect amount of salt. Add to that how it was served in a mini fryer basket, and again, I'm a fan. It's my new custom to order skate any time it's on the menu, so I had to oblige. Thankfully, this time I was not disappointed. It was delicious and tender, with the caperberries and lemon offsetting each other for the perfect flavor accompaniments.

Front: Red Velvet Donuts
Back: Bread Pudding

By the time dessert rolled out we were already stuffed, so we really didn't appreciate them to their fullest. The dried, candied citrus was a perfect flavor, texture, and plating finish to the bread pudding. The donuts were more chocolate than red velvet to me, but were quite yummy.

The thing that holds this restaurant back from scoring a full 10 would have to be the ambience. For the first half of the meal the lights were really bright which gave the place a distinctly cafeteria feel and was really throwing me off. Finally, around 8pm they dimmed the lights. This is one of those places that effortlessly accommodates casual and dressy attire, but the mix of casual and fancy elements in the decor kind of threw me off. But I wouldn't let that hold you back, since this part is purely a vibe that I wasn't getting- maybe you'll click with it.