NYC Menu Girl

Three Babes Bakeshop - Killin' it in San Fran

2012-05-28T20:37:00.001-04:00

I was in San Francisco Sunday to spend some time with my boyfriend's family. The circumstances of our visit were not the best, but spending time with Alex's family is always a huge thumbs up. As one of seven kids, there is literally never a dull moment with his family. There is always something to do, something to eat, something to talk about.

We were in San Francisco to visit Lenore, co-owner and co-founder of Three Babes Bakeshop. This shop is a pop-up, and appears on the weekends in the yard of The Stable Cafe. Each week, the shop features pies inspired by local and seasonal ingredients. The Salty Honey Walnut is the staple pie, appearing on a weekly basis, since they have a friendly connection with a walnut farmer. Otherwise, the menu changes! You are welcome to go on the website to let the babes know what pie you would like to see a certain week, and they will try to have it on the menu.

These pie slices for $5 a piece, and are worth every bite. You are paying for fresh seasonality in gooey baked goodness. Perhaps you are an expert pie maker, and if you are, that rocks! But for most people, baking pies is not a typical Monday night activity. If anything, these slices are under-priced. The amount of time, effort, and literal love that is baked in these pies is worth every dollar.

It is hard to decide which pie slice to try. Luckily, as friend of the owner, I had the opportunity to try all of them. I was most excited to try chocolate mint chess, on the bottom right corner. And it was delicious - gluten free too! And although it was amazing, I had no idea how blown away I would be by lavender lemon custard, top right. WOWZERS. I could not get enough of this pie. I am usually turned off by very lemony things, but this pie turned my thoughts around. I am a firm believer that when a dish changes your mind about a particular ingredient, that dish is truly inspiring.

If you live in the San Francisco area, I recommend a visit to The Mission district to eat some pie from these ladies. You will not be disappointed.

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl

The Caulfield

2012-05-22T23:19:00.000-04:00

New York City brunch is a well-respected meal where the champagne flows and the eggs benedict overflow. At The Caulfield, a strange fusion of ritzy Park Avenue décor with tank-topped downtowney bartenders, the champagne bottle is actually placed right on your table, along with a carafe of orange juice. The little space left on your table is overcome with plates large enough to feed a family of eight. If you lack self-control, which I most certainly do, this brunch will make for a slightly sloppy savory Sunday!

I was invited to try The Caulfield, new to the brunch scene, and eager to promote their $25 AYCD brunch. Most entrees range from $12-$14, but for $25, that entrée comes with bottomless mimosas, bloody marys or bellinis. This is a common tactic used in Manhattan to draw in diners. For some reason, we don’t simply want to enjoy a delicious meal of well cooked eggs while nursing a hangover. Instead, we have to cure the hangover with more booze. For every other meal in NYC, it would be considered pretty classless to crave bottomless entrees or liquor. But for brunch, your Olive Garden style of eating is welcomed, and encouraged.

The Caulfield, on the fine Sunday that was Mother’s Day, was actually empty. Apparently, the mothers of the world do not want to get wasted off mimosas. I guess I respect that, but I was expecting to see at least one other table of young people whose out-of-town mothers were left to celebrate elsewhere. As the only guests, the bartender and server treated us like restaurant royalty, replenishing our champagne bottle, recommending favorite dishes, and bringing a round of shots when overhearing there was a birthday at the table.

The brunch dishes were created with the hungry man in mind, who wants something he can sink his teeth in to. The Breakfast Pizza, with scrambled eggs, bacon, potato, scallion, and cheddar, embodies everything a person could want for breakfast – protein, grease, starch, and cheesy goodness. By putting these ingredients together in a pizza format, the tired and eager brunch guest can hold breakfast in their hands, piece after piece. The Juevos Rancheros, shredded pork, corn, tortilla, scrambled egg, beans and guacamole are mixed together in a bowl. You don’t have to worry about having a fork and knife to cut this up in to perfect forkfuls. You can spoon your way through it with minimal effort. For balance, our final choice was Grilled Cheese with mushrooms. It was the least epic in size, but by far the healthiest and most manageable. Although not memorable, all brunch menus should help those trying to be healthy, without sacrificing on creativity

The dishes on their own may not be enough to send me running back to The Caulfield, but the overall enjoyment of a fun environment, enough food to last a few hours, and delicious brunch cocktails make this restaurant a living room for your Sunday funday!

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl

The Tasting Menu - The Only Menu

2012-05-17T08:17:00.002-04:00

I love tasting menus. As someone who eats almost anything, aside from pickles and berries (hold your judgment - it is a short list), a tasting menu is a fun way to eat several different things and to avoid the stress of making a choice. If I order a 7 course tasting menu, and 1 course missed the mark, or wasn't to my taste, I leave with an overall positive opinion of meal. If I order 2 courses a la carte, and 1 misses the mark, the disappointment is severe.

A tasting menu is great for conversation too. For some reason, as each course comes out, you evaluate them, and stack them against each other. Although we evaluate our a la carte dishes too, it is not the same because you expect them to come out and you hand-picked them to satisfy your craving. With a tasting menu, sometimes you barely remember what the next course is because you only glanced it over to determine if everything sounded mostly to your liking. Even better, a secret tasting menu can dictate the conversation for the whole night. You commit to a menu having no idea what is on it, so each dish that is dropped is a surprise worth talking about.

Two restaurants with these secret menus are Perilla in the Village and Jack's Luxury Oyster Bar in the East Village. Perilla is 7 courses for $75 and Jack's is 5 courses for $55. These restaurants are great example of tasting menus that do not severely break the bank. Yes, they are pricey. But I think there is a common notion that tasting menus start at $125 and go up from there. There are several little restaurants that do vegetarian tasting menus for $30 or $45 for 4 courses. There are way more options than you think!

Actually, some restaurants find the tasting menu option to be the only option. WD-50, a restaurant I have a reservation at this coming week, used to over a $140 10 course tasting and a la carte. Recently, they bumped that $140 to $155 and added a 5 course tasting menu for $75. The a la carte is gone. For me, I am really excited for the 5 course tasting menu at $75. The portions will be smaller, but if we went and ordered 2 dishes a la carte, that would have cost at least $60. I would rather taste more things than hunker down with a nice big entree.

What are some of your favorite tasting menus? Do you like tasting menus? Or would you rather order the 30-day dry aged sirloin after a long day?

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl

I Coppi

2012-05-15T07:30:00.000-04:00

Your first impression when you walk in a restaurant sets the tone for the meal. The greeting by the host, the gaze in to the dining room and the hustle of the waiters send are early indicators of your upcoming experience. Is the host friendly or detached, the diners jovial or scarce, and the waiters bustling about or standing around? Whatever the circumstances may be, an impression is made and the rest of your evening is dictated by the proof or disproof of that initial determination.

Upon arriving at I Coppi, a rustic Italian restaurant hidden behind wooden doors, I was warmly greeted by a host who seemed to have ample time on her hands as the restaurant was empty. I requested to sit in the garden area, to which she simply replied “Of course. We are not that busy tonight.” A NYC restaurant that is not that busy on a Friday night is suspect. Alas, I let her escort me to the garden, where I was happy to see 4-5 tables of guests.

Although hesitant about this seemingly not-so-busy restaurant in a bustling metropolis, our perfectly friendly server put my fears at ease as she smiled and quickly took my wine order. She reviewed the specials and allowed us to take our time as we caught up with friends and perused the myriad of options.

We settled on 3 appetizers and 4 entrees for our group of four. The appetizers were a hit while the entrees were perfectly acceptable but far from exceptional. The eggplant with fresh tomato sauce was creamy and a perfect mouthwatering start to our evening. However, the warm polenta with gorgonzola cheese and walnuts was surprising in its immense levels of texture and flavor that only made us sad that we had not ordered more. The crostini was basic, but satisfied the need for crunchy Italian bread.

After a nice break, filled with house Chianti wine, Moretti beer, and picking at a simple bread basket, the entrees arrived. The prosciutto and arugula pizza was unimaginative and lacking in a level of gooeyness that one hopes from a cheesy pizza. The lamb special, with its unexpected Brussels sprouts, was the most fancy on the table, and delivered in its fine dining presence on the table. The gnocchi with crab meat and orange sauce is where the restaurant exercised its imaginative muscle, but unfortunately the orange sauce was overpowering made the dish the least touched on the table. As far as pastas go, the pappardelle with lamb ragout was the table favorite. With one bite, the silky lamb ragout melted in your mouth, as you licked the sauce from your lips and savor each rustic Italian bite.

My first impression of the restaurant was that this empty spot was like every other unvisited restaurant in the East Village. But I let our bubbly server and delicious pappardelle, prove me wrong. Although there was room for improvement, the successes were greater than the failures, and the tone was changed from skeptical to a mostly pleasant Friday evening.

The Chew

2012-05-10T07:54:00.000-04:00

In a somewhat touristy fashion, I attended a taping of The Chew. This show premiered in September on ABC and features cooking and lifestyle segments with Clinton Kelly, Michael Symon, Daphne Oz, Mario Batali and Carla Hall. A friend of mine works for The Chew, so she graciously snagged me a ticket. I had a week off in between jobs, so why not?

Have you ever been to a show taping? It is somewhat interesting. You wait in a waiting room with the other audience members while snacking on a granola bar and a little bottle of water. Then, they take you inside!

They film it in segments, telling you when to clap and ooo and ahhh. Only a select few get to sit at the tasting table and actually eat the dishes being cooked. But the best part of the whole show are the breaks in between segments when Carla Hall dances through the audience!

You can see me here. I am the one in the yellow dress.

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl

Bite Sandwich

2012-05-09T07:00:00.000-04:00

Bite Sandwich is my favorite sandwich shop. Located on 14th street, between 2nd and 3rd, this Mediterranean shop makes amazing sandwiches. Although I have tried a few, I cannot resist the turkey and swiss with pesto panini. It is hot, melty, and delicious.

If you look at the picture, it does not look like much. But the combination of flavors explodes with awesomeness. I once thought that buying a sandwich out was kind of lazy when you could make it at home. But there is something about fresh ingredients, interesting flavor profiles and artisanal breads that make sandwiches way better than what I can make in my small kitchen.

Thanks Bite, for your consistency. It wins every single time!

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl

Lunch at Work

2012-05-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

Hmmmm lunch. I love lunch. I guess I love all of the meals, but I am a huge fan of lunch. When I wake up in the morning, I eat a bowl of cereal. My breakfast is simple, but gets the day started. Lunch though is the meal I fantasize about, starting at 10 in the morning. If I packed a lunch, I think about eating that lunch. If I am at home, I think about ordering in. If at work, I think about where to go to get lunch, and what my mood is - sushi, burgers, thai. When will I go get the lunch? How much will it cost? Will it be delicious?

As I stated last week, I got a new job. When I was working in the restaurant, I ate lunch at home before leaving for work. Once at work, they gave us dinner before the shift started. So, the whole what to eat at work thing as been lost of me for over a year now. When I worked a summer job, I usually made something big for the week and ate it in sandwich form over the course of the week. For example, I would make a turkey meatloaf or turkey burgers, enough to get me through Thursday. Friday I would treat myself to lunch out.

Now, I can reintroduce myself to the wonders of lunch. My office is in the low 40s on 6th avenue. Other than a tasty wichcraft sandwich at Bryant Park or Counter Burger in Times Square, what recommendations do you have for a tasty and reasonable lunch in the midtown area?

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl

L'Artusi

2012-05-07T08:00:00.000-04:00

I was recently invited, along with resident boyfriend Alexander, to dine with two friends at L'Artusi. These friends are grown adults who wanted to treat us to a night out. In case you were curious, grown adults are totally different from baby adults. I am 26 years old. I am more like a baby adult. I pay my way, have a job, and I am a parent to an adorable kitty. I am going to cook dinner tonight, like an adult I guess. But, my friends and I drank 4 beers each in a very short period of time on Wednesday because my friend had a groupon-type thing for a happy hour, and so we wanted to get as many free beers in an hour as possible. So yea. That does not make us grown adults. Grown adults own furniture, like nice furniture. Baby adults get furniture from their parents' house or from Ikea, or they get used Ikea furniture off craigslist.

Well, now you know the difference between grown adults and baby adults. I wanted to make this distinction to preface this post by saying - the amount of food we ordered, and were treated to by grown adults, was way more than I could have ever afforded for one night out as a baby adult.

L'Artusi is a divine looking restaurant in the West Village. For the most part, the dishes are under $22, with a few exceptions like the Hangar Steak or any of the fish dishes. If you want to share a lot of appetizers and pasta dishes, you can stay away from the more expensive and fancy dishes like the $30 Cod.

For the four of us, we had 2 bottles of wine, 6 appetizers and 7 entrees. Holy smokes. We ordered 2 raw fish dishes to start, a salad, 2 vegetable dishes and cheese. For dinner, we ordered steak, octopus, and 5 pastas. Everything we ate was incredible. The pasta in particular was to die for. The pastas are $20 or less and are absolutely exquisite. If you love pasta, like my good friend Caitlin of Empire Stilettos, you will love this place!

Now, we can't always be treated to luxurious meals of 13 dishes for 4 people. But, it did make me realize that I should dine out in groups more. The more people you have, the more dishes you can try. Sharing is caring guys. Really though, the more people you have, the more you can experience the restaurant. Cheers to group dining!

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl

Inspiration

2012-05-04T07:30:00.000-04:00

Whenever I visit a restaurant, I pick up a business card. I thought it would be a a great collection to have one day. With collections, I tend to fall through on actually making something of the collection. For example, I saved all of my t-shirts from college so that I could make a t-shirt quilt. I have been so excited about this idea, for five years. They are still sitting in a box.

When I read my friend Caitlin's post on Empire Stilettos, I was finally inspired. She made a collage of her business cards to hang in her apartment. I have been avoiding it because it is a never-ending collection, right? I will continue to go out to eat and get new cards. But that is fine. In another year, I can make another big collage and hang it somewhere else. There is no reason to wait.

Since I am on staycation this week, I thought it was a good time to make my collage. Believe it or not, with all of that overlap, there are about 110 business cards! It is a great piece above my kitchen table. So thanks Caitlin, for the inspiration!

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl

Personal Stuff

2012-05-03T12:10:00.000-04:00

It is time to get personal with you. I want to update you a bit on some life changes, which also means blog changes.

I got a new job! I am very excited to start this coming week. I am working at a food-centric company in a more traditional 9-7 setting. If you recall, my previous job was in a restaurant, working every Tuesday-Saturday night, greatly limiting my ability to dine out for dinner. Obviously, my blog suffered because I did not try enough places to write interesting reviews. And I too suffered, because I love going out to eat! With this new job, I will have more time to go out at night and hope to amp up the content on this blog. But, my time at the restaurant was incredibly valuable, and now I can dine out with an entirely new perspective.

On the side, I am taking a food writing class through Gotham's Writers Workshop. It is an online class where I learn about different styles of food writing and have the ability to allow classmates critique my work. I hope to share some of that work with some of you. I also hope that my class teaches me some new writing tricks that I can use on this blog.

Other than a new job and a new class, most things remain the same. I still live with a lovely boyfriend and our ever so cute cat (who, as you can see above, does not always like to be photographed) in the East Village. I plan on returning to my dining out life with a mixture of eclectic neighborhood spots, special nights out, fancy dinners with parents, and team lunches at work.

Stay tuned for my return to the world of enjoying restaurants!

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl

Progressive Dinner

2012-04-27T09:54:00.003-04:00

I love planning outings and events with friends and family. I am happy to hang out at a bar or grab a slice of pizza, but every now and then, I like to do something different. Because planning things is actually fun for me, I am happy to take the lead and the responsibility to make a night special. I am also very fortunate to have great friends who are social and outgoing, and always interested in trying something different.

Recently, two different girlfriends of mine moved in with their respective boyfriends. These two ladies lived together in the East Village on 18th street and 1st avenue. One moved to 14th and 1st and the other to 2nd and 1st. I was so happy that they both stayed in the neighborhood because we really enjoy hanging out together in the East Village. To be young people living in the city near a lot of your friends, running in to them at the gym or passing them on the street is like a fake scene out of Friends, but for us, it is our reality.

In order to wedge my way in to these apartments, I thought it would be fun to go visit those apartments in one night. I live on 1st avenue too, around the corner from another group of friends off of 1st avenue. Instead of just visiting the apartments, I organized a Progressive Dinner, starting on 14th and 1st and making our way south to 2nd and 1st. Each apartment was responsible for an appetizer and a drink. We did not do a traditional progressive dinner, where one house makes an appetizer, one makes an entree, etc. For the most part, we do not have big enough tables for 8 people to sit and have dinner, so appetizers made sense.

We all met up at house 1 at 5 p.m. Every house was allotted about an hour of the night. We ate the first appetizer and as we finished up, the dwellers of the next house left to prep. We gave them a 15 minute lead time and then moved on to the next house, and so on and so forth. Basically, everyone prepped their dish during the day, and then had 15 minutes to re-heat before their guests arrived.

We all had so much fun and talked about different variations on the dinner for next time. For example, we thought it would be creative to put a limitation on the dishes, like you had to use a particular ingredient, or you could only shop in one aisle of the supermarket.

Overall, it was a fun and memorable evening. On somewhat of a sappy but related tangent, it is nice to make memories. These days, people think they are making memories by documenting life as it happens. Instead of watching an exciting hockey game, you are tweeting "my, this hockey game sure is exciting" but you aren't even watching it! You want to remember it before you even give yourself the chance to experience it. The best way to create memories is to actually think of fun and different things to do that keep your life interesting. Events are memorable because they stand out in your mind, because something crazy happened, or you loved what you were wearing, or you ate an amazing piece of steak.

Make a memory this weekend. Think of something challenging, interesting, or different, and do it. And enjoy it while it happens.

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl

2012-04-24T14:37:00.001-04:00

Pinterest is the new and hot social media tool. I signed up because I figured I had to stay up on things. I am still trying to really understand it. I guess the concept is simple - you pin things that you like, such as images from websites or pictures you upload. You can look at other people's pins and get cool ideas for decorating, wedding planning and party planning.

I started a board called "Restaurants I want to try" because I am constantly browsing restaurant websites when I want to go to a new place. Instead of bookmarking all of the restaurants, I can pin it on my board.

It is a work in progress, but I am trying! And I would love to see what some of you do with Pinterest.

Follow me on Pinterest!

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl

Spring Teasers

2012-04-19T12:06:00.001-04:00

My friend Elise's old rooftop

It is that time of year when one day it is 70 degrees and the next day it is 48 degrees. We keep experiencing a little spring tease, with sandals and al fresco dining. The next day, we put those sandals back on only to realize that Mr. Sun is on hiatus for the day, having expended all of his energy the day before.

The first nice day in March 2010, in Central Park

The teasers are great because it gives us the time to get excited for summer. I am very enthused about summer in the city. It is a time when a lot of people like to flee the city, to greener and cleaner pastures. For me, I love my summers full of backyards in Brooklyn, rooftops in the East Village, walking everywhere, craving lemonade all the time. It is excellent!

On Aaron & Elise's roof - two great friends with awesome outdoor space!

The other night, I headed to the rooftop pictured left to hang out with some friends. Prior to my rooftop gathering, I was in Central Park with some friends, laying out, eating sandwiches, and chatting. This was all just the beginning of a great sunny Spring and Summer!.

Summer 2010, Upstate New York

Whenever it starts to get warm, I pull some old favorites out of my list of places to go and try to add some new ones. I love Berry Park, a bar in Brooklyn with an amazing rooftop that never seems to be too crowded. Not too far from there is The Levee, my favorite Brooklyn bar. The backyard is awesome. The craft beer selection is amazing and cheaper than most bars. They have unlimited free cheesy puffs and board games. You can find me in the back with friends and Mad Libs.

Central Park with my college partner in crime, Meg

In Manhattan, I like to try new places. I recently had happy hour priced beers at Jules on St. Mark's. I cannot resist a pricey beer at La Birreria, the rooftop at Eataly. I also enjoy chicken and waffles brunch in the backyard at Back Forty.

A new summer means new things. I really want to try Beekman Beer Garden. I tend to stay away from being so far downtown in the Southstreet Seaport area, but this place looks cool. A friend went this weekend and said they are a bit disorganized, but it was there first weekend open.

Where else should I try?

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl

Brunching with Katy Perry

2012-04-17T10:20:00.000-04:00

I was invited to try PS450, a popular brunch spot in the Murray Hill area. I recommend PS450 to readers all of the time, but have never actually been. I blindly send people there because I know they have two great brunch features:

1. All you can drink!! Most of the entrees are around $12-$14. For $25, you can make your brunch all you can drink. You can choose between bloody mary's, mimosas, and bellini's. I will give you the specifics on the level of awesomeness later.

2. Good for groups! I can't tell you how many e-mails I get asking for a brunch recommendation for a group of 30. Apparently, a lot of you like to brunch with 29 friends. Obviously, the requests are for bridal showers or other such events, but they are a tall order. Once your party has exceeded 10, you need to find a place with some private space. And private rooms can be expensive. But some places, like PS450 have great back rooms for big brunches. I sat up in the window but when I walked to the bathroom, I saw there was an entire back area with 2 large parties enjoying brunch.

When I arrived, I was greeted with a smile and a great table by the window. Sitting by the window was amazing. We saw some crazy people. It was pretty entertaining. At first, I thought the window was great because the music was not too loud. But, the loud music ended up rocking my world.

PS450 turns brunch in to a club scene. They blast Katy Perry music and all other hits so you want to dance. I loved it! It was a great way to amp up my Sunday. I highly recommend going in the late afternoon to have a great meal and gear up for a night of partying.

I have been to several drunk brunches. Sometimes, the emphasis is on the drinks and the food just falls flat. The ultimate drunk brunch place has both good food and endless drinks, and PS450 definitely hits the mark.

The menu is divided between entrees and french toasts. Yes, this place has multiple kinds of french toast. And in my brunch history, I have never ordered french toast because I want something hearty and with protein, and french toast is just a too sweet start to the day. At PS450 though, you can get peanut butter french toast or you can be a fatty like me and order the Bacon, Egg and Cheese French Toast. PS450 converted me to the sweeter side of brunch, while still giving me bacon and eggs.

The entrees include great breakfast staples, like eggs and breakfast quesadillas, like the one above. They also have great sandwich selection and lunch type items if you are ready for lunch.

If you read my post on Backyard, you know that I think the ultimate brunch dish is the dish that includes both breakfast and lunch in it. My dining companion Lesley ordered the "Hungover Fries" which was a bowl of fries with eggs, bacon and cheese on top. Fries are great for lunch but eggs are delicious for breakfast! Brunch menus tend to look similar across the board, with eggs benedict and omelettes. The only way to set yourself apart is with unique dishes. This dish was unique and amazing.

Basically, you don't need to do the drunk brunch to get a fun and delicious dining experience. But, I recommend the drinks. Unlike most places that fill up your mimosas, this place leaves a carafe of it on the table. Self-serve bellinis? Yes please!

A Delicious Memory

2012-04-14T01:16:00.005-04:00

I was scanning through some photos on my phone, with hopes of deleting a few pictures to free up space on my phone. My old Android keeps getting upset with me for storing too many photos. Most of the photos are of my cat, Perilla, who I named after an amazing Contemporary American restaurant in the Village. In case you do not know this about me, I am basically a crazy cat lady, except that I am not single and lonely. Instead, I met my perfect crazy cat guy to share my life with, as we spend our days cuddling with our kitty and thinking about what to to name the next animal we will inevitably adopt in the next couple of years. I love animals and I think my animal brings love to my small New York City apartment, as she sleeps on the ottoman while I write.

The oldest photo saved on my phone, after the occasional picture of a pizza pie and the cat sleeping on a cookbook, was a tasty photo. And this tasty photo reminded me of a great food memory.

In the fall of 2010, I traveled around the United States to represent my law school at different fairs. I tried interesting restaurants, mostly alone, and enjoyed traveling alone more than I expected. I put pressure on myself to go out as often as possible and experience as much as I could.

During my midwest trip, I was feeling sick. My first night in South Bend, I landed very late and went straight to bed. The next night, I found myself in St. Louis Missouri. I was tired, so I had mussels and a glass of wine at the hotel bar and went to bed. After staying in that night, I was hopeful that my next night would be out on the town in St. Louis.

That second day in St. Louis, I felt pretty ill. After 6 weeks of traveling, several different hotel rooms and many airplanes, exhaustion caught up with me. I did not want to go downtown. I just wanted to stay in my hotel bed and watch television. But, I was not so sick that I could not enjoy food.

Room service. Oh room service. You would think that my weeks of traveling would mean lots of room service. But I enjoyed hotel bars more, eavesdropping on conversations and pretending to enjoy sports. So, room service was not always top on my list. Logistically speaking, not every hotel has room service. I stayed at a lot of Marriott's and Sheraton's, like The Residence Inn and Fairfield Inn & Suites, and those types of hotels do not have room service.

I crawled in to bed at 6:00 p.m. I was elated by the night ahead of me, in a huge bed, with food being delivered, and potential for a crappy television show or movie. I did not want something too intricate. I wanted comfort, and of course, wine. I have to be really sick to not want wine.

My eyes focused in on a three cheese grilled cheese sandwich with sweet potato fries. What a great combination - several cheeses, bread, and my favorite fries. I ordered a glass of wine too, and later regretted not ordering 2 glasses. I flipped the dials while I waited for the food. A movie was starting starring Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alec Baldwin, which to my knowledge, never made a movie together. Turns out, they made a terrible movie together called The Suburban Girl. And under no circumstance other than falling ill out of state with nothing else to do could I justify this film. But I put it on, and watched the whole thing. It was terrible, but contextually fun.

The food arrived and I could not wait. Look at that sandwich. Perfection! And the fries - oh the quantity of fries! You can see the base of the wine glass in the corner. And it all came on a tray so I could lie in bed, watch bad television, eat this crazy sandwich and drink my wine.

I can't delete this photo from my phone because I love stumbling upon it and remembering that delicious night alone in St. Louis where a tray of food in bed was heavenly. I tend to think that the greatest joy of food is experiencing food with others. But on this lonely October 26th, 2010, I experienced great joy in the solitude of my room service delight.

Have a delicious day!
NYC Menu Girl

Quesadilla for Lunch

2012-04-12T14:50:00.002-04:00

I had a quesadilla for lunch. That is not the whole story. I had a quesadilla from Dos Toros Taqueria, a Mexican outpost on 4th avenue and 13th street, with 2 other locations in the West Village and Uptown. We keep meaning to try this place out and somehow, we always miss it. But, Alex's co-worker Ben recommended it, so we moved it up on our list. Our list is long and always growing, so we simply cannot make it to every place in a timely manner.

Alex, the suited man on the left, ordering my quesadilla while I hold it down at the table.

Dos Toros has quesadillas, tacos, burritos and platos. The line is long, but it moves quickly. There are only 6 tables though, so even if you move through the line quickly, there may not be a table. But, people eat quickly, so not to worry.

This small tacqueria is a great place to grab Mexican if you are looking for a break from the usual Chipotle run. The portions seem a bit more reasonable too, with just enough to fill you up but not so much that you are walking around with a burrito in your stomach all day.

Chicken Quesadilla, for under $7!

I love a good taco, but I cannot resist a quesadilla. I love melted cheese, so I am drawn to quesadillas the same way I am drawn to hot, pressed sandwiches. This quesadilla was very filling and delicious. I am used to quesadillas having more of a half-moon shape, as opposed to a wrap, but I can go with the flow. The best part of this quesadilla is that it was cheesy and not at all dry. Sometimes, at certain taco type outposts, the food makes my mouth feel super dry afterwards.

Overall, it was a good experience. My boyfriend enjoyed it, but wondered what the hype was about. I think that just because a place has hype does not mean it needs to be mind-blowing. It may just be a good addition to the neighborhood or fills a food void that is lacking in a particular area. Good, reasonably priced Mexican food at a clean establishment in Union Square that does not also oddly sell Chinese food too is a great new outpost in my opinion.

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl

Old Eating Habits

2012-04-11T10:50:00.001-04:00

I had the great privilege of spending my time yesterday on a leisurely lunch with two lovely ladies. Perhaps I could start a terrible sitcom that will fail after 2 years called "Lovely Ladies who Leisurely Lunch." The sitcom would be the same concept as all of the brunch scenes in Sex and the City, with a little less vulgarity and a bit more raw gossip and general consensus on the utter distaste for watching brides-to-be open gifts at a wedding shower. In case you were wondering my opinion on the matter, I have no interest in watching a grown woman open household items that they pre-selected for themselves and their significant other who apparently does not give a damn about these presents. However, I fully understand that this will inevitably be something I must do over the next few years and I plan on drinking my way through it. I have no preference for the type of alcohol served, in case you were wondering. I just know that I do not plan on being sober while someone says "Yay, the yellow towels I wanted." But, I digress.

I had lunch in Harlem at Kitchenette, a rather popular spot uptown. I arrived 20 minutes early and was given a table without hesitation. I ordered coffee, which I consumed non-stop for almost 3 hours. I also had a fabulously large and epic bacon, avocado and grilled chicken sandwich.

I had the privilege of dining with a great friend who I went to both high school and college with as well as a friend who works at my alma mater and was in town for the day. Part of our gossiping and chatter surrounded a very important upcoming event - my 5 year college reunion. I went to Holy Cross, a small liberal arts college in Worcester, MA. I am not sure that I can really express the pride that I feel for my undergraduate institution. I had a fabulous experience in college and I definitely had some great times.

As we reminisced about our time in college, and started hypothesizing about potential awkward run-ins at reunion, we discussed old eating and drinking habits. College is a time of endless food. Usually, when college students gain weight in college, it is a volume issue. Of course, there is access to unhealthy food and all you can eat dining halls do not really help your waistline. But eating an enormous dinner at 6 pm, followed by 7 beers, followed by a domino's pizza is really way too much food.

At the start of every scholarly year, we received a Domino's menu that contained 10 different combinations that you could order for $10. My roommate and I were fans of choice #5. This choice was 2 small pizzas, 2 orders of any bread, and 2 sodas. The small pizzas were about 6 slices. The orders of bread had about 10 breadsticks and the sodas are self-explanatory. I always ordered the regular breadsticks and my roommate was partial to the cinnastix. So, we each got our own small pizza, our own order of bread, and a diet coke. Usually, we had a leftover slice or two, which we ate drunk when we got home, or the next morning. But, the thought of eating a small pizza and an order of bread by myself is kind of gross to me now.

One Halloween, after hopping from house to house off campus only to be disappointed with what we found, my roommate and I went back to our rad RA room with 2 of our friends. The four of us, at 11 p.m. at night, ordered 5 orders of mozzarella sticks. That is 50 mozzarella sticks. The place did not even have 50 mozzarella sticks. We ended up eating about 12 out of the 30 we got.

On a particular Sunday while pouring over Student Government bylaws (yes, I was a student government nerd, and I have absolutely no qualms about that), we decided to order from D.P. Dough, a fabulous calzone place that closed due to health violations. Everybody was devastated when it closed, and no one seemed to care that is closed due to health violations. It is a chain and still exists in several college towns across America, mostly on the East Coast. There were 8 of us at the meeting. We ordered 13 calzones. We ordered one with four different meats - like sausage, chicken, steak and pepperoni. We then dared somebody to eat it, which he did, and then he had 2 more entire calzones.

As I continue writing this post, I must state that my intention was not to gross you out with my college eating habits. But I could not help reflecting on them as I know that in just 50 days, I will be shacking up in a dorm room with one of my former roommates, surrounded by old classmates, big kegs, and epic games of beer pong. And of course, I may want to order Domino's.

My eating habits have definitely changed since college. In addition to liking a lot more foods and branching out from just pizza and chicken fingers, quality reigns supreme over quantity. College eating and drinking was always about having a lot. We need a lot of beer, and a lot of pizza, and a lot of brunch. And I can't say that I don't experience that sometimes, like after a rough night at work a few weeks ago when I ended up at Crocodile Lounge afterwards drinking lots of beer and devouring every free pizza that came with those beers. But for the most part, I prefer quality eats over competitive volume eating.

The most important thing to know is that our eating habits evolve over time, and it is fun to watch those habits change and explore new cuisines.

What are some of your old eating habits?

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl

gDine

2012-04-09T15:21:00.003-04:00

In a city that can be so expensive, we are certainly not at a loss for coupon and deal sites. And it is great that there are so many opportunities to get 30% off or a free bottle of wine. However, I am sure some of you feel that your inbox is flooded daily with groupon deals and other such discounts to the point of annoyance. I agree that daily e-mails from various stores, restaurants, and coupon sites make it challenging to want to read any of these e-mails. It is time for you to mainstream your deal sites and decide which ones work for you.

I decided to try a new restaurant deal site recently called gDine.com and was very happy with the results. gDine originated in Chicago and recently debuted in New York. The concept is relatively simple. You select a restaurant and a time. You are making a reservation. Instead of saving a certain amount, you are "purchasing" a 3 course menu. For example, you can spend $30 on a three course menu at Agave. Then, the site will add the tax and tip and let you know what your final cost per person will be. You can pre-pay online and even split it between the credit cards of your dining companions.

Why make a reservation for a set 3 course menu? Several reasons:

1. Most of the menus offered are not limited. There are several choices for each course. This is like restaurant week but way better, because you have so many more options.

2. The "g" in gDine stands for group. How many times do you go out with a group and when it comes to pay, their is awkwardness in the air. If everyone ordered roughly the same thing, then the group decides to split the bill evenly. But if one person orders 10 cent wings and the other orders a $14 burger, well, it gets dicey. For some people, you are at an age where splitting the bill, even when it is not even, is ok because it all works out somehow. And, if you go out with the same people a lot, it does even out in the long run. But when groups dine for a birthday, or a group comes together that does not normally dine together, diners want to pay for what they ordered, and nothing more.

3. You know what you are getting in to. You know you are getting three courses and you know exactly how much you owe, including tips. And you are getting more for the money! You can see that if you keep reading.

Guacamole, with Basil! A perfect Mexican dish with a great Tuscan flavor.

I made a reservation at Matilda, an adorable Tuscan-Mexican fusion restaurant on 11th street between Avenue B and Avenue C. Matilda is a Tuscan-Mexican restaurant because the owners, a married couple, have a Tuscan and a Mexican background. They also have a daughter named Matilda. So it all comes together. For 2 people, with tax and tip, the total was $77. Basically, 38.50 a person, for three courses.

We even got to order the bruschetta special, with shrimp and guacamole, as part of our gDine experience!

The menu is really fascinating because each dish really highlights both Mexican and Tuscan influences, like guacamole with basil, or goat cheese ravioli with huitlacoche sauce. When we looked at the menu, we asked the server what we could order for our gDine reservation. He said we could order any appetizer, any entree, and any dessert. Incredible! We ordered $84 worth of food, but paid $77 - with tax and tip. We saved $24 on food, which is an amazing savings.

Everything we ate, from the guac and bruschetta, to the short ribs and steak, all the way to a delicious full plate of churros, was superb. And we could not believe that we were able to have the same experience as any other diner with our gDine reservation.

All I could think after eating is why would you NOT use gDine for this reservation. You save money and get the full experience of the restaurant. Next time you go out with a group, consider making that check dropping on your table less awkward by evenly pre-paying for your experience. Let that check just be for booze!

Have a delicious day!
NYC Menu Girl

Backyard Restaurant, Brooklyn

2012-04-03T11:55:00.002-04:00

I am an East Village dweller with a love for Manhattan, yet I respect the romanticism of the spacious and diverse Brooklyn neighborhoods. As a downtown girl, Queens and the Bronx are long distance and the allure of Staten Island is somewhat nonexistent to me. I am open minded though and willing to go on adventures. As a trusted friend once told me: "You are not Manhattan Menu Girl, but NYC Menu Girl, so get out of Manhattan and try other boroughs!" I may not venture to all five, but my growing love for Brooklyn has expanded my horizons and set me apart from Manhattanites that refuse to cross any literal bridges.

One of the reasons I crave time in Brooklyn is my desire to enjoy the great outdoors. I would describe myself as an outdoorsy gal according to my dictionary. My dictionary defines "outdoorsy" as one fond of picnic tables outside where one consumes alcohol and eats chips and defines "gal" as a sassy individual who enjoys the culture of food and wine. By those definitions, I am quite the outdoorsy gal. If you would like to go hiking with me, you better be sure that there is a watering hole at the end of the trail with flowing Sixpoint Sweet Action and free cheese puffs. To sum it up with a relevant cultural reference point, I would be the first kid to die in The Hunger Games.

Shleys Flatbread - Goat Cheese, Pesto, Sundried Tomatoes with Poached Eggs and Potatoes

I made a recent trek to Park Slope to engage in witty banter and scandalous gossip with my favorite former Stuyvesant Town roommates. Our days of consuming wine and painting our nails in our dimly lit shared living room with a sneezing cat sleeping on the Ikea chair are over. Instead, we must gather in public dwellings to swap stories. Unfortunately for the public, our odd behavior from our private sphere on Avenue C always follows us to our restaurant or bar of choice, leaving little to the imagination of the eavesdroppers at the adjacent table.

I took 2 trains to get to Brooklyn on Sunday, since the F train seems to take nights and weekends off when it feels a little lazy. As I strolled in some direction on fifth avenue, since I am always geographically twisted in this other borough, I passed the strollers, the brunch lines and free samples at a local market. I had a destination for this grand meeting, at 388 Fifth Avenue, home to the new restaurant Backyard. A pleasant and driven man named Jeff and his attorney wife Elizabeth opened this restaurant, their second baby after their first actual child, a daughter aged 2. This restaurant has a legitimate Backyard for dining, in addition to an amazing bar space and indoor seating.

The menu at Backyard is a whimsical approach to tapas style dishes combined with a few key entrees to satisfy any dining experience, from casual fare to continuous delectable dishes. If you look at the menu, you will see that this restaurants focuses on ingredients you crave, like goat cheese, texas toast, poached eggs, pesto and green onion. The kitchen at this restaurant is small, but the owners have maximized their cooking strengths and have created interesting combinations of food delight. I greatly appreciate a thoughtful limited menu over a scattered menu with a plethora of options that calls into question the freshness of the ingredients and the creativity of the kitchen team. Backyard has creativity locked down and when the dishes arrived, it was clear that they were equally tuned into flavor and presentation.

My goat cheese flatbread redefined brunch for me. Brunch is a meal that is both breakfast and lunch. The concept is simple, but the execution of a brunch meal is interpreted differently across restaurants. For some, brunch is a menu that offers breakfast and lunch options during a late morning through late afternoon period on a weekend. For others, the focus is on breakfast items provided in a larger quantity to soak up the previous nights liquor or to prepare one for a long day of sitting on the couch. Believe me - sitting on the couch all day requires a great deal of dispensable energy. You have to choose a netflix movie, order in your dinner, stand up to open the door for the delivery person. I am exhausted just writing about it.

Salmon Flatbread, Creme Fraiche, Red Onion, Capers and Dill

Until Backyard, I thought a good brunch menu included ample breakfast and lunch options. It turns out that perfect brunch should be defined by dishes that capture the essence of lunch and breakfast in one entree. Instead of choosing between pancakes or a cheeseburger, the perfect brunch satisfies both of those cravings. My goat cheese flatbread satisfied my lunch craving while the precisely poached eggs beneath offered that breakfast start to the day that your body wants. And together, the flavors exploded. From now on, I will no longer choose between breakfast or lunch. I will seek out real, thoughtful and deliberate brunch items which combine two of my favorite meals of the day.

Bacon, Egg & Cheese - Between Pancakes!

If breakfast is what you crave, the phat stax, eggs and cheese BETWEEN pancakes is a perfect dish. Like the other dishes at Backyard, this thoughtful dish allows you to eat all of your favorite breakfast items into one booze sopping delight.

Great food, endless coffee, and a backyard are good enough reasons to check out Backyard. The friendliness of the owners is what makes this Brooklyn charm feel like home.

To learn more, visit the website!

Have a delicious day!
NYC Menu Girl

Coppelia

2012-03-29T10:31:00.000-04:00

Diners remind me of being in high school and going after prom, or going out to lunch with my Grandma, a tiny woman who always ate an entire hamburger. Diners are their own category of restaurant. They offer 24/7 access, breakfast all day, and literally pages of options.

I hardly ever go to diners in New York City. For the most part, I do not need a restaurant to offer me pages of options. The city itself offers pages of restaurants, with its unique eateries and diverse culinary experiences. If I am craving milkshakes and fries, I could go to a lot of different places, not just diners.

I decided to make an exception to my lack of diner-going and try out Coppelia, a 24/7 Cuban diner. Coppelia is part of the restaurant group that includes Yerba Buena and Toloache. I had a great experience at Yerba Buena Perry and was willing to give this restaurant a chance.

Coppelia offers a nice mix of cuban flavors with diner classics. I had an omelet with cuban toast. My companions enjoyed breakfast burritos with guacamole and other spicy delights. The best was the zesty muffins they dropped on the table before our entrees arrived. And the endless amounts of coffee made for a great start to the day.

As far as diners go, this place is still a diner, but has more flare and pizzazz. If you are looking for a 3 a.m. snack on 14th street or a hearty breakfast, check it out!

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl

Pizza Party

2012-03-28T12:12:00.000-04:00

I am the proud owner of a pizza stone. I highly recommend purchasing a pizza stone. In addition to making delicious pizzas, you can make other foods like naan. It is also the best way to make pizza. Let me flush this out for you a bit.

Whole wheat pizza with mushrooms, shallots and spicy soppressata.

A pizza stone is round and sits on the bottom of your oven. You can store it there permanently, which makes it a great NYC kitchen gadget. You do not have to find a spot for it in your tiny kitchen!

When you make pizza, you heat the oven to 500 degrees for about 1 hour before cooking. The stone heats up in the oven, which allows the pizza to ultimately cook more evenly and get a crispy crust. If you do not have a pizza stone, you would have to cook it directly on the rack. It won't be as even because of the grill lines. Also, you would have to oil the rack or else it will stick. With the stone, you just slide the pizza on to the stone.

Here are a few tips for making delicious pizza:

1. Get a great pizza cookbook. I own 500 pizzas and flatbreads. I love the dough recipes and the naan recipes too!

Pizza Peel: A great kitchen decoration!

2. Buy a pizza stone and a pizza peel. A pizza peel is the paddle you use to put the pizza in the oven. The first time we made pizza, we did not have a peel. It was extremely challenging to get the prepped pizza from a tray to the stone. With the peel, you prep the pizza with the fixings right on the peel, and then you just shake it into the oven. And, you can hang the pizza peel on the wall with a hook. It makes for a cool kitchen display.

3. Allow time for the dough to rise. When you make pizza dough, the dough takes 90 minutes to 3 hours to rise. I recommend making it the day before and refrigerating it, or making it in the morning before you go to work. We rarely make pizza because when we want it, it is already 7 p.m., which means the pizza won't be ready until at least 10. Plan ahead!!

4. BEFORE you preheat the oven, you must do 2 things. (1) Remove the racks in the oven. You can get a better angle sliding the pizza in the oven without the racks. (2) Open a window! If you live in a little apartment, preheating your oven to 500 degrees for an hour, and then cooking in it will surely set off the smoke alarm. If you open the window, the smoke alarm won't go off until you are done cooking. If you do not open a window, it will go off as soon as you start cooking.

5. When you finally take the pizza out of the oven, let it sit for 5 minutes and cool off. It is very hot!

6. Decide what you want to do yourself and what you want to purchase ahead of time. You can easily buy dough and sauce and toppings and just the preheat the oven. I usually make my own dough and Alex makes sauce. You can shred your own cheese, or buy shredded cheese. You have a lot of options as to how elaborate you want to make this process.

Misshapen Deliciousness

Making pizza is a fun activity, and is really great for a casual party. Last year, we had 5 friends over, put out a bunch of toppings, and let everyone come up with their own combinations. You don't need utensils of place settings, so it is great for apartments with less space and small kitchen tables.

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl

Redwood Kitchenette and Bar

2012-03-26T21:26:00.000-04:00

I was not always a food lover. I ate food but the word "variety" was unknown to me. I rotated between pizza, chicken, burgers, and peanut butter sandwiches. When I got turned on to food, I needed a break from my usual bites to expand my repertoire. I remember not ordering burgers when I went out to eat because I thought it was a safe choice. Instead, I ordered pancetta-wrapped monkfish, white bean agnolotti, polenta with sausage and fried eggs. It took me a few years to go back to my roots and start enjoying the foods that used to define me. What I failed to realize was that the few foods I ate had much more range. I ate plain cheese pizza, not pizza with eggs, basil, and brussels sprouts. It was time to explore simple ingredients prepared in different ways.

This weekend, I went to brunch in Chelsea on Saturday and Sunday. I used to live in Chelsea and find myself back there quite often. I love the neighborhood and the people. I mourned the loss of a pretty simple and delicious restaurant called Vynl, on the corner of 15th street and 8th avenue. This restaurant had a great brunch menu, with a selection of breakfast and lunch dishes. If you think about it, brunch is a combination of breakfast and lunch, so the menu should honor both of those meals. But, Vynl closed. This restaurant quickly turned around and became Redwood Kitchenette and Bar. The decor is different - with an Airstream RV inside that serves as the bar. It somehow isn't kitschy. It is clever, inspired, and just fun.

Redwood Kitchenette and Bar serves your favorite things - salads, burgers, sandwiches, and eggs. But, the combination of their seemingly simple ingredients make you crave their dishes. For example, I ordered the avocado, arugula, and apple sandwich with whole grain mustard on multigrain toast. It sounded so delicious, and with a side of fries, it was the perfect start to a day! There is nothing radical about this sandwich, but the combination of ingredients were perfect, and not something I would have put together myself. It was hard to say no to the polenta with aged cheddar and green onion, another representation of harmonius ingredients.

I highly recommend this restaurant as a great place to pop in for a good dish and some friendly service. I also recommend going back to your food roots - revisit some old favorites and try them in a more interesting an elaborate fashion. Your favorite food growing up may still be your favorite food today, but better!

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl

Idle Hands

2012-03-22T14:30:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I strolled to work through Chelsea Market. I picked up a few bottles of wine. I passed a sign that said there would be a cool event in the market, with cheese, wine, and shopping, that very night. Sadly, I work at night so I kept walking. It reminded me though of how many of those types of things I used to go to while in law school. I miss random events, with interesting food and a different way to have fun.

Upon arriving at work, for the first time ever, I was told I was not needed, and could go home if I wanted. I texted my friend Sejal to see if she had any plans. She let me know that our group of friends was going to an event at Idle Hands bar on Avenue B. I could not have been more excited! I got the night off and there were plans for an event!

Photo Courtesy of Caitlin Komora of Empire Stilettos

This event was a beer tasting with Green Flash Brewery. These beer tastings happen weekly on Wednesdays, starting at 7 p.m. Read more here! First, you get to try bourbon. Then, you get 3 tastes of beers + 2 half pint draft beers + 1 order of tater tots. The cost: $10. AMAZING! We had about 2.5-3 beers by the time we were finished with the tastes and drafts. The other awesome part was that a rep from Green Flash was there to talk us through the tasting. And yet another amazing aspect is that she comes by to your table, so it is not a formal thing. You can just drink your beer and have fun.

If I did not work on Wednesdays, I would be at Idle Hands every Wednesday night. It was $10 well spent!

Have a delicious day,

NYC Menu Girl

Spillover Bliss

2012-03-16T13:02:00.002-04:00

Some restaurants and bars greatly benefit from spillover bliss. Spillover Bliss is when a particular establishment gets its patrons from the overcrowding of the establishment next door. If I were to open a restaurant one day, with me running front of house and Alex managing back of house of course, with his fine cooking skills, I would find a space located next to a popular space. When the popular space gets too crowded and there is a 45 minute wait, I would get all of those guests!

Last night, I met up with my friend Amol at Drop Off Service, a great drinking establishment on Avenue A between 13th and 14th street. They have a lovely beer selection. However, it was rather crowded. Considering our enjoyment for deep conversation, we decided to pass on Drop Off. We went next door to Destination Bar, which has about 1/4 of the amount of people. It almost seemed empty. The beer selection was not as great, but it passed muster. I got a can of Pork Slap beer for $4 and a Captain Lawrence for $6. We were able to talk and drink beer, which we planned to do at Drop Off anyway. Destination Bar has its own reasons to be a good bar, but I am sure some of their patrons started as Drop Off Service drinks and made the move.

These spillover places, like Izakaya Ten, next to Tia Pol, or any place near Momofuku Ssam, get their own reputation. Soon, another place will need to open next to a place that benefits from spillover to handle all of their spillover! This never ending cycle gives us reasons to try new places when our favorite places are already bumping with other patrons.

What spillover bar or restaurant do you find yourself enjoying?

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl

Contextually Delicious

2012-03-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

I went to La Palapa, an East Village Mexican restaurant, with two of my favorite gals. You know them from previous posts - Sejal, the fresh fish sushi lover and Caitlin, the fashion blogger behind Empire Stilettos. I have a very firm belief that Mexican food and margaritas taste better with a group of girls. There is something about sharing tacos, sipping on flavorful margaritas and sharing girly stories that just mesh well together. I cannot imagine myself ordering a blood orange frozen margarita at a happy hour with co-workers or ordering it with a friend while he drinks a beer.

Some foods or cuisines are even more delicious depending on the context. Obviously a well prepped piece of fish tastes great whenever it is well prepped. And a delicious blood orange margarita has the same flavors regardless of whether I drink it with a group of girls or with a group of co-workers. But food is not always tasty simply because the flavors are good. Experiencing food with others adds another element to the food. Sharing food and conversation is a great pleasure and can really impact how you perceive the dish.

You have my margarita example. Margaritas with girls contextually taste more delicious. Another example is doritos. Every now and then I crave doritos. I bought them once when I walked home from work and they did not really live up to my craving. However, I know that doritos on the beach in Cape May are absolutely delicious. The context lends to it. There would be 8 of us in beach chairs and on blankets, telling ridiculous stories and eating doritos. Those doritos taste way better than the doritos I get from a bodega.

Do you associate any particular foods with situations? Is there a certain dish that you love only at a certain time or in a certain place? All I know is that food meant to be enjoyed for so many more reasons than just needing food to live. Add a little context to your food, and you will start craving friends, family, and good conversation with your sirloin steak.

Have a (contextually) delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl