Cuisine. Culture. Commentary.
This whole lifting of the ban on kitniyot is a GAME CHANGER. Basically, for the last 800 years a whole bunch of foods were considered no-nos during Passover (corn, rice, beans), but now they are a-ok. True, I had pretty much relaxed my observance of that rule in recent years because I didn’t agree with it,…
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The last thing I think of when I imagine Upper West restaurants is a chill California vibe, but there goes Playa Betty’s, dropping a beachy restaurant on 75th and Amsterdam. It’s all tacos and margs here, with wood paneling and cafe lights so you feel like you could just step inside and prop your imaginary…
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Like many vendors inside UrbanSpace Vanderbilt, Hard Times Sundaes started as a food truck. Contrary to what their name implies, Hard Times Sundaes is all about burgers, not ice cream. The burgers and hot dogs are what you would expect from a food truck – no frills, topped with chili, wrapped in bacon, fried. All the…
Read MoreSushirittos (a burrito made of sushi with seaweed instead of a tortilla) are an official craze. It started in San Fran and pretty much hit every big city outside of NYC…until now. There are finally a few places to get these sushi burritos, one of which is conveniently (for me) located in UrbanSpace Vanderbilt. Hai…
Read MoreThe spicy rigatoni at Carbone is one of those bucket list restaurant dishes. It’s the cheapest thing on the menu, but it is probably the most instagrammed item they have. That said, it’s still $26 and there’s not even any meat in it. But I’ve found a loophole: the rigatoni fra diavolo at Parm. You…
Read MoreWhen it comes to neighborhood sushi spots, you tend to stick to places that are in, you know, your own neighborhood. Sushi Choshi is just a little too far south for it to be my regular spot, so I’ve always just passed by on my strolls around the beautiful Gramercy Park thinking “oh, that looks…
Read MoreTwo great things occurred in New York in 1929: my La La was born and Eisenberg’s Sandwich Shop opened. Eisenberg’s is an old school lunch counter, much like the ones my La La always talks about visiting after school. Set yourself on one of the stools and order endless cups of coffee or a simple…
Read MoreAbout one year ago I was eating at Eataly and discovered cacio e pepe. The name of the dish translates to “cheese and pepper”, and it’s made of literally three ingredients: pasta, cheese, and peppercorns. But when those ingredients are combined the right way, with the proper amount of heat and pasta water, it creates…
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Mimi Cheng’s had been instagrammed often, which means I’m bombarded with delicious looking dumplings every time I scroll through my feed. And I am a sucker for delicious looking dumplings. Who isn’t? What Mimi Cheng’s manages to do really well is serve both the old and new schools. When the Cheng sisters opened the small…
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April Bloomfield knows burgers, as evidenced by the amazing versions she serves at The Spotted Pig and The Breslin, so when she announced a burger-centric spot it immediately hit my radar. I made it to Salvation Burger within the first two weeks of opening and it was already running smoothly. Bloomfield’s other forays into the…
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Peaches to Apples 