High Times in Highlands

Highlands: Scotch Egg

After some delightful cocktails and snacks from Employees Only, we were not quite ready to call it a night so headed East a few blocks to Highlands. We've attempted to come to this bar many times because we hear they have a great Scotch Egg, but we tend to swing by on Friday & Saturday nights and this place is hopping. Walking in on a Monday night, they were still doing good business, but it was calm & relaxed and totally unrecognizeable from the scene we were used to.

Everything's Working for Employees Only

Employees Only: Mata Hari

As a big lover of high quality speakeasies Employees Only has been on my 'must visit' list for quite some time now. On a whim, we decided to have a little Monday night adventure to kick off the week. We found the neon Psychic sign in the West Village window and walked by the actual psychic who sits in the foyer into another world.

Giving Joseph Leonard a Go

Joseph Leonard: Bloody Caesar & Michelada

Joseph Leonard has been on my to try brunch list for ages now, so when the opportunity arose on a beautiful spring afternoon we headed off to the West Village to give it a shot. We usually don't order drinks at brunch, but their Bloody Marys looked like a serious opportunity not to be missed. I ordered the Bloody Caesar with vodka, clamato, and sriracha garnished with a deep-fried bacon-wrapped brussels sprout and an oyster. Heck yah.

Two Texans Two Boots To Go West

Garlic & Bayou Beast

We absolutely love our favorite local pizza joint Patsy's, but living in NYC has taught us that yes- you can have too much of a good thing. We wanted the convenience and share-ability of pizza, but were looking to mix it up a bit so decided to try Two Boots.

Tasting the Rainbow at Big Gay Ice Cream

{ Big Gay Ice Cream Shop }

After an incredible dinner at Flex Mussels, I wanted to continue a perfect evening, so I dragged The Mr. over to Big Gay Ice Cream Shop. I've been hearing about how amazeballs it is for years, and tonight was my night.

Flex is So Strong

Thai Mussel Pot

We've been enjoying the heck outta Mussels this summer at our local favorite spot Mrkt. Today we happened to be walking around Meatpacking when the Mussels craving hit, so we decided to head to Flex Mussels which I'd heard good things about and was much closer. I wanted to eat outside since it was such a perfect day, but one glance inside and I changed my mind.

When De Santos Comes Marching In

De Santos

Tonight I was invited to try De Santos, a contemporary American restaurant located in a West Village brownstone that was once home to the likes of Janis Joplin and Bob Dylan. My initial impression after walking in was "lovely". Exposed brick and rustic wood were counterbalanced with cherry blossoms and butterflies to make it equal parts masculine and feminine.

No one cooks like Jeanne & Gaston

Rear Courtyard

I was invited to try Chef Claude Godard's relatively new restaurant Jeanne & Gaston. The restaurant is named for his grandparents who owned and operated a hotel and restaurant back in Burgundy, France. Chef Godard is a third generation restauranteur who has earned the title Maitre Cuisinier de France. With this prestigious background, I was surprised when I met Chef Claude who is genuinely gentle and charming.

When I arrived I was escorted through a contemporary-casual dining room to a back garden. This dining area is a serene escape from the hustle and bustle of the city and it was easy to forget we were right off of 14th St.

Extra, Extra read all about Extra Virgin

For some reason, we never seem to make it down to the West Village for brunch, even though it's just a stone's throw away and has a lot of great spots. Something about the end of the reliable city grid system makes it seem like another world. Who knows what possessed us to choose the bitterest, coldest day of the winter so far to trek down there today, but boy were we glad we did.

Red is the color of love at RedFarm

Farmy & Cozy Community Table

I've been reading a lot of great things about relative newcomer RedFarm since it opened last August. Once a saw a picture of their Pac Man Dumplings I knew I had to try it out for myself. We skipped lunch and got there right at 5pm for an early dinner to avoid having to wait. Inside was warm and cozy like a farmhouse kitchen which was perfect for such a bitterly cold night.

Dolce Vizio: Our new Sweet Vice

As soon as I read about Dolce Vizio, a build-your-own tiramisu joint opening in the West Village this summer, I knew that I had to take The Mr on a pilgrimage there since Tiramisu is his all time favorite dessert.

Tiramisu as far as the eye can see...

Smorgas: Compliments to the Swedish Chef

Smorgas Chef

The Newbie Foodies went out on a date night tonight and were walking back to Chelsea from The Village when we decided to grab some drinks and desserts to finish the night up right. We were walking through the West Village and happened upon Smorgas Chef. Their reputation precedes them, so in we went.

Bosie Tea Parlor: A Perfect Spot

As soon as I first happened upon Bosie Tea Parlor, I vowed to myself that I would be back for their Afternoon Tea. Well, today was the day, and a girlfriend and I headed down to the West Village to spend a leisurely ladies' afternoon.

For afternoon tea, you get to choose a tea, 3 flavors of tea sandwiches and a pastry. We strategically ordered our sandwiches so that we could trade and be able to try all of the flavors. Pictured below, from left to right: Cheddar Cheese & Pickle, Chicken Breast with Golden Raisins & Curried Mayo, and Smoked Salmon with Red Onion & Cream Cheese. The other flavors were Farmer's Egg Salad with Thyme Blossoms and Cucumber with Cream Cheese & Dill. My absolute favorite was definitely the Cucumber & Cream Cheese, there is just something so light and classic about that combination. Runner up was the Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese- what can I say? I'm a sucker for Cream Cheese I guess. As a side note, don't be scared of the Cheddar Cheese & Pickle- as you can see below, it is not your typical Dill Pickle situation, but more of a pickled jam.

Tea Sandwiches 

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.

Ride on past One If By Land, Two If By Sea

I recently joined a book club that combines a love of good books with dining at great restaurants around the city. I'm sad to say that for my first meeting, I was disappointed on both counts.

Luckily, their Restaurant Week menu was still available, so we each ordered a cocktail and then chose our appetizer, entree, and dessert. The cocktails were really delicious, no complaints on that count. But then the trouble started. I was talking to the girl on my right, so did not notice the waiter who approached me with the bread basket behind my left shoulder. Up until now, I sensed an air of hoity toitiness from the wait staff (which is why there are no accompanying pictures with this post). The extremely rude toned "Ex-cuse me" that I then received from the waiter quickly confirmed it.

Spanish Fare at Cafe Espanol

Sangria, Bread, & Dipping Sauce

Paella Valenciana

Paella Marinera with Lobster

To celebrate one of our good friend's birthdays we decided that the festive choice would be paella. We revisited a restaurant that we went to when we first moved to the city back before the blog was really up and running called Cafe Espanol. As we remembered, the sangria was delicious and the bread comes out with this wonderful olive and olive oil dipping concoction. 

For dinner, we all shared the Paella Valenciana (sausage, chicken, seafood, and saffron rice) and the paella Marinera with Lobster (shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels, squid, and saffron rice). We enjoyed it a lot, but found it to be a bit on the salty side. Now that we've had paella from Soccarat and experienced the slightly burnt, magic, delicious crust that can be the bottom of paella, I don't think I can fully enjoy paella again without that. Unfortunately, this paella did not have the soccarat effect.

Feeling Cozy at Bosie Tea Parlor

I was wandering around the West Village on a rainy day with my dear friend visiting from out of town, when we decided we could do with a spot of tea. I pulled out my iPhone map app and was delighted to see we were a few steps away from a place called The Pink Teacup. Although it was adorable, they were not actually a place that had much tea, it was a southern food restaurant. Major letdown. So out came the old iPhone yet again and this time it guided us to Bosie Tea Parlour.

What an absolute delight! They had an amazing assortment of teas and we found it very hard to narrow our selection, but we finally settled on a pot of toasted coconut and a pot of almond chocolate. Unfortunately, we were still pretty full from breakfast, so we did not order the full tea service, but I couldn't resist a couple of macarons. In addition to your usual flavors they offered Rose and Peanut Butter & Jelly which caught my eye and stomach's attentions. Delightful!

This place is an amazing find and I can't wait to come back to enjoy their Afternoon Tea. One final note, is that this place is adorable, but not overly frilly and feminine like most tea shops, so you might be able to drag a guy into this place without him grumbling too much.

This little piggy went to Market Table

Long Island Duck Breast

Hamachi Crudo

Sauteed Skate

Braised Colorado Lamb Shank

Chocolate Pot de Creme

I didn't get to eat in the main restaurant as I attended as a part of a party in their private room downstairs, but my brief glimpse of the main dining room revealed a cozy and sweet atmosphere. I ordered the Skate, which is becoming a definite trend for me. The verdict was that it was very good- not as good as the one at Sel et Poivre, yet much better than Craftbar. Overall, a lovely meal!

Perilla- was the tastiest thing there

Met up with an old college friend who picked Perilla for dinner. I did my prep work and became excited after reading lots of great reviews about the restaurant of Top Chef Season 1 winner Harold Dieterle (even though it was a spoiler for me... but I guess I can't get upset about spoilers to reality TV shows that aired 5+ years ago...)

Drink: For my pre-dinner drink I ordered the Perilla 75. Delicious! Loved the minty yet spicy leaf, which I learned is the herb that is the restaurant's namesake: perilla.

Food: I ordered the duck breast with sweet potatoes, chinese broccoli rabe, huckleberries & spiced cashew sauce. It was good, but I wasn't blown away. My dining companions on the other hand loved their entrees.

Atmosphere: Simple & unpretentious with plenty of room (a nice change of pace from the typical Manhattan cramped eateries).

Service: Had a few times where my water glass sat dry for a while, but they were nice about squatting around and having a long leisurely catch up (and yes, there were other empty tables, so no we weren't being those people)

Bottom Line: If you live nearby or find yourself in the area you should definitely try it out.

Blue Ribbon for The Spotted Pig

I've been hearing about The Spotted Pig for years and I was starting to feel like we had no right to talk about NYC burgers without visiting this establishment. However, like most popular New York restaurants, the wait time kept us at bay. Finally, one evening The Mr was in a burger mood and we weren't starving, so off to the West Village we went to put our name on the list.

Since we had plenty of time to kill, we went around the corner to The Otheroom for a drink. We really loved this bar for its simplicity. They just have beer & wine and comfortable seating with low volume music. It's like a friend's living room where you can enjoy your company and have a nice conversation.

To the magical upstairs land. This is where we spent the
majority of our wait time.

After our beers, we went back to The Spotted Pig to see how the wait was coming along. Oh boy, not good. By the time we were seated, about an hour and a half after putting our name down, we were definitely hungry, and a little cranky. We were shoved into a tiny table in a corner and were thinking "no way is this going to be worth it". Dubiously, we ordered the Deviled Eggs & Chicken Liver Toast to start as they had the most impressive user reviews.

Deviled Eggs

Chicken Liver Toast

The Deviled Eggs were quite good, making them worth the $3 price tag if you've got it in the budget to spare. As for the Chicken Liver Toast, well, we don't eat a lot of liver, chicken or otherwise, but we were glad we gave it a try. It was very rich and we enjoyed it, even as liver noobs.

Chargrilled Burger with Roquefort Cheese & Shoestrings 

Aaaaaaand the verdict on the Burger & Shoestring fries?? Worth it. Yum, Yum, Yum!

Sheep’s Milk Ricotta Gnudi with Basil Pesto

But what really stole the show was the Ricotta Gnudi. The gnudi were the softest, cheesiest, fluffiest dumplings offset by the very rich sauce. Even though this was on the small plates menu, I ordered it as my main and was more than full. It was so good we butted in and suggested it to the couple who was seated next to us and were discussing what they should get.

What really impressed us to was the wait staff. They were very hipster-ish (and I mean that in all the best ways), but instead of a "we're so great, you're lucky to be here attitude" they were extremely nice, attentive, and helpful. They really tipped this place over into the realm of great dining experiences.