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.

TMS keepin it Amazeballs in Chelsea

The Meatball Shop: Sliders, Kitchen Sink Salad, Risotto,
White Beans, & Chelsea Pie

We loved the original location of The Meatball Shop on the LES, but it was quite the trek so we didn't make it down that way very often. Imagine how excited we are to have a Chelsea location now. OK, yes, it's actually old news and for some reason I thought I already posted about it, but to my surprise I haven't done a post yet so I needed to correct this wrong.

Press Dinner: Da Marcella

Da Marcella: Wine & Menu

I was invited to partake in a lovely meal at Da Marcella, a humble and cozy neighborhood taverna in the Village. The owner, Manual Moreno opened this restaurant in tribute to his mother who would cook large meals to feed their neighbors and continues the tradition of keeping the costs low with the motto "nobody should get rich feeding thy neighbor". Likewise, the restaurant continues to use his family's recipes and this passion and tradition shines through in the food. Speaking of the food, let's take a peak at what we got to sample...

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.

Parm does no harm

Parm

Were running errands this afternoon in SoHo and were hungry for a very late lunch. I really wanted to try Torrisi Italian Specialties which has been on my list forever, but given the odd time (~3:30pm) it fell in between the awkward closed for lunch, not yet open for dinner window. But wait! Didn't I hear the Torrisi folks opened up a casual spot right next door? Well that works too.

We walked in to the kitchy shop and settled into our table to peruse the menu. It didn't take us long to decide on the Calamari, Pizza Knots, and a Meatball Parm Hero...

Gee, I know this great Italian Place: Giano!

Giano Restaurant

Tonight, I was invited to try Giano and as I walked down the street past some of my favorite East Village restaurants, I was excited because to hold your own in this neighborhood, you have to be something special. I walked in and was immediately enchanted. I'm pleased because usually I don't get great interior shots, but I really love how this one captures the restaurant.

The weather is just starting to cool, so it was just a little too chilly to dine in the back garden, but it was still nice enough to leave the entire front part of the restaurant open and enjoy the evening. Our first plate of the evening was a trio of Appetizers: 

Incognito: A Well Kept Secret

Sausage & Prosciutto Pizza

I have walked down 18th Street many a time, but a couple of weeks ago I noticed a new spot called Incognito Bistro. Shortly after, I was invited to come try it out. Then I learned that it's not actually a new restaurant, but that they were just very aptly named. However, they've made a few changes recently which is why I suddenly noticed it and had the opportunity to try it out.

Now if you are reading this review because you are considering going to Incognito, I can save you a lot of time. Stop thinking about it and GO. However, if you want to see some gorgeous food photos and torture yourself by reading about delicious food that you aren't eating right now, then by all means, continue.

Robbed of Words at Roberta's

Bloody Mary

We were in an area of Williamsburg we hadn't been to before scoping out some potential new apartments and we were famished. I pulled out my phone and was very surprised to find that we were really close to Roberta's which has been on my "must-try" list for a while thanks to the ravings of a good friend of ours. So we headed towards it and found ourselves walking down an abandoned warehouse lined street with not a soul in sight. Even The Mr. started getting a little nervous.

Midway down the block, a cab going in the opposite direction stopped and some girls asked us if we knew where Roberta's is. Uh-oh, I thought it was just up ahead, but if that was the case, they should've passed it. This wouldn't be my first time getting led astray by Google Maps...but when we got to the corner it was supposed to be on, we were pointed to a very inconspicuous door. Opening it was like falling through the back of the wardrobe into Narnia. We were suddenly surrounded by warmth, a lively crowd, and enticing food.

Sofia, So Fine

Sofia Wine Bar

Tonight I was invited to try Sofia Wine Bar, Cafe so I headed to the East side and walked in to the ground floor of a brownstone on 50th street. I felt like I had stepped into someone's home. It was warm, inviting, and full of interesting antiques. It was immediately clear that Sofia was something special.

Let Me Tellya About Donatella

Donatella

Came to Donatella tonight with a girlfriend. Have always been intrigued to try pizza outta that glitzy gold oven. We really enjoyed the ambience and settled in for a nice meal.

Fresh Food at Fiorini

Fiorini

Chef/Restauranter Lello Arpaia has had a string of very successful restaurants so I was excited when he invited Newbie Foodies to try Fiorini, his collaboration with Chef Xavier Quispilema. The dining room is covered in gold and red brocade fabrics, an aesthetic decision not only made for its luxurious feel, but also for its ability to absorb sound. This makes it easy to actually have a good conversation with your companions, something I always appreciate in a restaurant.

Go to Vai

Vai Restaurant (Press Photo) 

I was invited to try out Vai, a contemporary Mediterranean restaurant in the Upper West Side that opened last October. I walked into the intimate yet casual dining room and immediately felt that tonight was going to be special. Chef Vincent Chirico has orchestrated an entire dining experience from top to bottom. He's not only the Owner and Executive Chef, but he also created the wine list, the cocktails, the desserts AND is responsible for the decor. I love that this restaurant is the entire vision of the Chef and that he shapes the entire concept around his signature food.

Hasta Headsta Basta Pasta

We've walked past Basta Pasta countless times, but I didn't know much about it other than the fact that it had pasta. A coworker was having a going-away lunch and chose this spot. and I was very intrigued to learn that it is pasta done by Japanese chefs. A Japanese/Italian Fusion of sorts.

The Mr opted for a penne with bacon (no surprise there) and really enjoyed it:

 Penne with Bacon, Onion, Egg Yolk and Cream Sauce

Gotta go to Co.

I've been hearing fantastic things about Co. forever, but it took me an embarrassingly long time  to put two-and-two together and realize that "Co" is that place across the street from my apartment that has the big "Company" sign outside. Oh boy, good one. Now we had absolutely no excuse to get our tuckuses here ASAP. And so we did.

We started with the veal meatballs served in homemade marinara with truccione sare (rustic country bread) and butter. Lordy, lordy, thems some goooood meatballs.

Veal Meatballs

Bene Bites at Morso

Graphic Designs on Wall

A few months ago Restauranteur & Chef Pino Luongo opened up a new restaurant with Chef Tim Ryan featuring modern, Italian cuisine. This week, they invited me to dinner to try a sampling of the bites they have to offer.

As I walked down 59th towards Morso, I couldn't help but notice what a romantic backdrop the Queensborough Bridge made across the way. In April, they will start having outdoor dining- but tonight it was chilly, so I was happy to duck in to the festively decorated, warm and welcoming restaurant.

Hallelujah White & Church

Look for the large pink neon martini glass at the corner of Church Street & White Street and make a beeline for the door. But don’t be fooled, there is so much more than just great cocktails waiting inside for you.

CiaNO Go

We've been trying to plan a dinner with another couple for some time now, so when we saw the Gilt City deal to Ciano, we jumped on it and set a date. I made the reservation on Open Table and then called them to tell them we would be using the voucher, so imagine my surprise when we arrived and told me she couldn't find my reservation. Since I had talked to someone a few days before I insisted that she check again. Oh! There it is, she forgot to go to the next page. Wow, OK. 

We were led to an upstairs room, which was disappointingly not as nice as their main dining room (which was fairly empty at this point). Then they gave us menus and we excitedly started picking the appetizer and main dishes- we were very excited. A few minutes later the waiter came back and asked if we were using the Gilt City voucher- oh that's a different- much more restrictive- menu. Our hearts immediately sank, it was decidedly not as appetizing. There were two appetizers, two mains, and two dessert options so we ordered one of each to split.

Cafe 2 & Terrace 5 at The MoMA

Soup & Cookies 

Bruschetta

My new boss took our team for an outing to see the "Talk to Me: Design and the Communication between People and Objects" exhibit. (Our team is responsible for User Interaction Design at our company so it was very apropos.) We started our day out with lunch at Cafe 2 where most of us opted for the Soup & Bruschetta lunch which comes with a cup of soup, your choice of two bruschetta, and two cookies. What a perfect day-at-the-museum luncheon option! The soup of the day was tomato and I chose the Cured Tuna (with black olives & lemon) and Cauliflower (with gorgonzola, toasted walnuts, and honey) bruschetta. I enjoyed it all immensely and the chocolate chunk cookies made a delightful end to the meal.

Dreamy & Creamy Risoterria

Bleeker & Morton

Mozzarella, Roasted Portobello, & Truffle Oil Risotto 

We were wandering around the West Village scoping out the damage from Hurricane Irene and we started to get hungry. Not a lot of places were open, so we decided basically decided to just grab something at the first available option. That's when I spotted Risottoria. Oh what divine providence! We had no idea what a treat we were in for.

La Bottega: A Work in Progress

Went out for a final lunch with a co-worker who is moving out of the country and we decided to mix it up from our usual lunch time haunts and try out La Bottega. It was a wonderful escape in the middle of the day to sit on their patio and enjoy a lovely luncheon.

The focaccia bread and olive oil were delicious and it was difficult restraining ourselves from ordering some wine. The waitress highly recommended the soup of the day which was some kind of eggplant puree with some kind of nut and topped with pesto. It was certainly an interesting combo, but way too rich for what I was looking for on a warm summer day.

Spaghetti Squash & Soup of the Day