Le Grainne Cafe once more with Crepes

After trying Le Grainne Cafe last month, this little spot quickly rocketed up to one of our favorite new brunch spots. So when I was looking for a perfect place to take my out of town guests for a lovely brunch, I knew just where to head.

This time, I was determined to get some crepes, so I quickly agreed when my friend suggested we get the Nutella & Banana Crepes to share as a warm-up to our meal. Mmmmm, I was not disappointed.

Crepes Nutella Banane

Loco for Boka

We intended to take our out of town guests to Momofuku Noodle Bar, but when we got there we were facing a 2 hour wait. We love our Momofuku, but when you are ready for dinner, that is just too long to wait. So we were milling about on the sidewalk discussing our options when we hit upon Korean Fried Chicken. Bingo! Luckily for us, Boka on St Marks was but a hop skip and a jump away.

We'd actually already been here once, but it was when we had just moved to the city and before the blog was in full swing. Last time we were here, I was very envious of the Watermelon Soju I saw everyone enjoying and vowed to myself that one day I would come back and make this sweet bowl of fruit and liquor mine. And so I did.

Watermelon Soju

Bananas for Banana Leaf

A couple of my close friends are from Sri Lanka, so I've had a few chances to experience Sri Lankan food and wanted more. When I read this Eater article about where the Sri Lankan ambassador likes to get his Sri Lankan food, I officially added Banana Leaf to my 'must-try' list. So when my friend from out of town requested a hole-in-the-wall type place with spicy food, I knew where to go.

To start, we decided to try the Masala Vadai: Lentil Pattis with Sri Lankan spices and a minty chutney. Mmmm, we were off to a strong start.

Masala Vadai

In Complete Concord with Union Square Cafe

Amazingly, we never managed to have a meal at Union Square Cafe when we lived over by Union Square. Not for lack of trying of course, this has been on my must-try list for quite some time. So when my parents were in town and I wanted to show them some of the best this great city has to offer, this is where I took them.

I don't often order chicken, but when I know it is going to be really well prepared, sometimes it really hits the spot. Also, today's menu with the root vegetables and flavored mashed potatoes just really hooked me. I was NOT disappointed. I was really good and saved half of it to take home to enjoy for lunch the next day, but full disclosure? I ate it as soon as I got home- it was just that good.

Roasted Chicken 

No more curiosity about The Red Cat

The Red Cat

I live across the street from The Red Cat and I've actually been here a couple of times already, but never quite put up a post about it, because...well, there just wasn't much to say. I keep hoping to have a breakthrough moment where I see why place is so raved about, like my experience with Cookshop. Don't get me wrong, it's a pleasant restaurant with nice service and good food, but for me that's about it. All of the food is well prepared, but nothing has ever really excited me.