nyc eats – lifeofacitygal

Don’t Mind if I DO

Living in New York, you quickly learn the trendy spots that take foodies by storm. We are always looking for the next best dessert, dinner or brunch spot to showcase and recommend to friends. With that, I present DO. The place that actually promotes indulging in as much cookie dough as you like. Yes I said cookie dough. You know that childhood favorite thing to sneak a taste of right before the cookie batch made it to the oven.

DO serves scoops of cookie dough of all flavors including classics like chocolate chip and sugar or more fancy ones like gimme s’more or peanut butter snickerdoodle; their creative takes on a classic s’more or snickerdoodle cookie. They also have a handful of other delightful treats like their cookie dough ice cream sandwich, cupcakes, milkshakes, sundaes and freshly baked cookies. I decided to try the ice cream sandwich which did not disappoint. I will say to hurry and take your best picture for your insta or snap before the ice cream melts :-). So now you can still sneak a bit of the cookie dough before you bake a fresh batch or simply visit DO and order it by the scoop. It’s DOlicious!!

LES Kitchen

The Lower Eastside of Manhattan is the home of some of my favorite food spots. Let’s add LES Kitchen to that list. Nestled on Essex St this neighborhood burger spot does not disappoint with their menu. If I had to put their food in a category, comfort would be the most fitting. I love a good burger but especially when it has a different touch of something special that the restaurant adds as their little signature. The house sauce is that special something at LES Kitchen along with the burger and topping combos they offer. I went with the Truffle Shuffle which had the grilled portobello, caramelized onions, provolone cheese and their house sauce. Cooked medium and tasted amazing! My husband went with the Mighty Bacon which kind of gives you the American classic cheeseburger feel since it has the applewood smoked bacon, cheese and their special sauce. You can never go wrong with a true burger classic. We also tried the Kitchen Sink fries. Okay let’s just say the kitchen sink name may be an understatement. These fries came with cheese, roast pork, ribeye, peppers, bacon, fried egg, and caramelized onions. I think this was the best part of our meal! I am so glad I could make it here. It’s a nice little counter serve restaurant that’s serving some of the best comfort food in town. Please give them a try whenever you’re in the LES. Tell them I sent you 😊

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BEC

After my recent visit to LA, I raved about the place Egglsut for their take on a simple breakfast; their bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on a brioche bun. Well guys BEC is coming as a strong competitor here in New York. Same concept but their bun has bacon bits and cheese baked on top. Yes! You read that correctly 🙂

I stumbled across this little gem while venturing in Chelsea for new eyeglasses and immediately jotted it down in my notes to come and check it out later. Well the day had come and I made my way back over to BEC to have breakfast for lunch. It’s cue and quaint inside with the long wooden shareable bench seating along the wall and other small tables for dining in. I went with the BEC classic which only seemed like the right thing to do. The classic has two eggs, bacon and sharp cheddar cheese on a brioche bun. Not forgetting the bacon and cheese on top of the bun. To stay within my breakfast themed lunch, I ordered freshly squeezed orange juice as well. This sandwich literally melts in your mouth. They’ve mastered this classic breakfast sandwich and added their own little twist to it. I love when I find a new restaurant and they exceed my expectations. Guys please give this place a visit if you’re in the Chelsea area. You won’t regret it!

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Harold’s Meat + Three

There’s a new kid on the block in Lower Manhattan and he isn’t playing fair. Chef Harold Moore has opened a restaurant called Harold’s Meat + Three and when you dine here, you get just that. All entrees come with your selection of a meat and then you pick three sides to compliment your selection. Pretty awesome concept! I had the pleasure of meeting the owner, Harold, before we ordered. Such a humble guy and very appreciative to hear his restaurant was recommended through great reviews and word of mouth. To ease our decision making for side dishes, he even let my friend and I add a additional side on the house. I literally wanted to try mostly all of the side dishes so it helped to add one more to my entree.

While we waited for our dinner, the waiter brought cheddar baked biscuits with a soft butter. Okay these cn be trouble guys! Try to only eat one of you can. As my entree, I had the veal meatballs, recommended by Harold himself. For the sides, I went with the cucumber salad, Japanese sweet potatoes, grilled broccolini and mac and cheese. Okay the flavors in the meatballs are undeniably delicious. I cannot even describe just how great they were and how many happy dances I did at the table. To balance the sides, I normally try to order at least one cold served dish. I was glad I tried the cucumber salad which was simply cucumbers tossed in a citrus vinaigrette. So refreshing! I also had never tried or even heard of Japanese sweet potatoes. They weren’t too sweet but had a nice flavor. The broccolini had a nice grilled flavor and seasoned to perfection. The mac and cheese literally had just the right amount of cheese and creamy texture that I look for in a good mac.

I love hearing about new places to try and I love even more when I try a place and have nothing but great things to say so I can recommend it myself. Chef Moore has nailed it with his restaurant and I will definitely be back. If you’re looking for a nice vibe and good eats, please give them a try. More pics from my dinner below.

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It’s a Caribbean ting

Caribbean cuisine is very popular in NYC. So when my friend left the ball in my court to pick the place for our catch up dinner, I was delighted to try Pearl’s. Pearl’s is nestled comfortably in Williamsburg and is a very nice and quaint restaurant in this Brooklyn area. Upon entry, you automatically get that island vibe from its decor and Bob Marley tunes that flows throughout the place. I already knew what I planned to order before coming here. There’s a specialty dish called the Bake and Shark. I’d never heard of this but after through research came to discover its a popular Trini street or fast food dish that’s very flavorful, especially once you add the sauces. Sauces are key. I also saw popular reviews for the stuffed crab backs and wanted to try those as well. Sadly, they were out that night; I guess they’re a bit too popular :-).

So to start I tried the calypso guacamole and chips along with the Trini rum punch. You can’t go wrong with either guac or a nice drink on happy hour right? Just an FYI, happy hour is from 4-7pm during the weekdays. As mentioned above, I went with the bake and shark as the main entree and their sweet plantains. Let’s just say they’ve nailed their rendition of this classic Trini dish. I couldn’t get over how sweet and delicious the bread was! Simply amazing. The sandwich consists of fried shark with tamarind, chadon beni and garlic sauce, pickled slaw and mango chutney. The shark was fried perfectly and the mix of ingredients was the perfect combination to exude the intense flavors of this sandwich. Pearl’s offers a few more sauces you can add to your sandwich to your liking; my favorites were the garlic and hot pepper sauces.

For a split second, I was able to remove myself from the hustle and bustle of NYC and mentally took a trip to the islands for about 2 hours. Pearl’s is definitely a place to try and I highly recommend their bake and shark. Take a quick trip to the islands with me by going through the gallery below.

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Step into Bo’s Kitchen

NYC has so many restaurants that you can try, it’s insane. I worked in the Flatiron neighborhood for over a year and never even knew about this hidden little gem called Bo’s Kitchen & Bar Room. The bar greets you as soon as you enter, definitely a plus in my book. The dining area is towards the back and filled with pictures and this captivating sign pictured below.

The night started with a sangria for me and I had quite some time to go over the entrees to make a good decision for the evening. I went with the Cajun pork chop parmesan. It was completely covered with a spicy tomato sauce and melted gruyere cheese along with parmesan. The perfect combination of flavor for this succulent pork chop! The chop was placed on top of steamed zucchini as well. My husband kept it light and simple with his choice, shrimp tacos. These were quite tasty with their shrimp, corn, tomato, cotija and crema toppings, garnished with cilantro. It’s always funny when we go out for dinner because the waiter normally mixes up our entrees. You would think he would go for the over-sized pork chop right? We also decided to add a side of mac and cheese. Probably one of our favorite side dishes and definitely a good addition to our meals. When in Flatiron, give this place a try. Nice ambiance and great food. What more can you ask for?

A touch of Italy

It was my dear friend’s last day with me at our job and we decided to do a celebratory lunch for her new opportunity and success within her future endeavors. Midtown can cause quite a headache sometimes when looking for different lunch options. On this particular day, we decided to take a stroll down 6^th ave and see in fact what we could find. Our lucky winner would be this cute little restaurant, L’Amico, located inside the Eventi Hotel. The menu is a mix of both American and Italian and offers a number of great dishes.

The ambiance was so cute! I could not stop talking about. The table setting, rustic-chic décor and overall atmosphere had us sold already. We could care less about the food at this point but luckily it matched how we felt about this place thus far. I went with the scallops over a rosemary-apple puree along with sunchokes and capers. The blend of flavors that this dish brought was absolutely amazing! OMG!!! The scallops were seared perfectly and the puree added such a nice touch of flavor! Definitely a great choice for lunch. My friend went with the salmon avocado dish which included a charred kale dressed with lemon oil. Such a fresh dish for fall and also an excellent choice. Equally as delicious as mine although I think my entrée would have to be my favorite out of the two.

L’Amico did not disappoint to say the least. In fact, we now wish we’d discovered this place sometime ago. I believe the menu is seasonal so hopefully you are able to catch this place in time to try the tasty dishes we had. If not, I’m sure the winter menu would be just as delicious. Definitely give them a try when in Midtown New York.

Clover Club

Sometimes you just want to go out and grab a good drink. Clover Club has been on my list of places to try for quite some time and I finally made it. Located near Cobble Hill on Smith Street, this is a stellar cocktail bar that must be visited if you’re in the area. The dim setting and overall ambiance is great. Very relaxing and inviting to have nice conversation over some of their many fancy concoctions. Although we only came for drinks, I’d been eyeing a few food items I wanted to try as well. I went with the deviled eggs and the mac and cheese. With the deviled eggs, you received four all topped with something different. Toppings included were crispy bacon croutons, smoked paprika and garlic bread crumbs, smoked trout and mushrooms duxelles. All were delectable and almost made me order another round but I remembered I had the mac and cheese to indulge in as well. The mac and cheese was cooked with several cheeses and also included bacon. Anytime there’s bacon involved, I’m overjoyed. I’ll have to re-visit to try the fried oysters and the bread pudding. I wish I could of tried everything all at once but this gives me a reason to definitely come back.

As for the drinks, there’s a huge selection categorized perfectly for an indecisive person like myself. Some of the categories were punches, tiki, beat the heat and brain freeze just to name a few. Clover Club was definitely a hit for me and it worked even better that it’s right in Brooklyn. Be sure to check them out if you’re ever on Smith Street and looking for a nice cocktail bar. Check out more pics below.

A Trip to Cuba

For one of my girls day/night out, we decided to check out the cutest little Cuban tapas restaurant named Havana Social. Be warned it is a few blocks from subway transportation in NYC but definitely worth the walk if you’re not cabbing it! Okay, now that I’ve given that disclaimer, let’s talk food. My friend suggested this place for dinner and we did not leave disappointed. We went on a Sunday around 5pm and were delighted to see they had a price-fixe menu with pretty good selections. You could choose from about 4 or 5 entrees along with either an appetizer or dessert. I decided to start with their empanadas; this came with 3 which included spinach, beef and chicken. OMG!! What a way to start off a meal. We also ordered guacamole for the table (which is a must these days I’m figuring). As for my entree, I went with the chipotle pork chop; infused with chipotle and honey and served with plantains and beans. This was so flavorful and really exceeded my expectations. Towards the end of the meal, I was definitely stuffed but refused to leave any food behind as it was too good to not eat everything. As for drinks, we all went in on a pitcher of their infamous coconut mojito. Seeing that I am not a huge fan of mojitos, if I ordered it, it must be a hit.

Overall, the dining experience was great at Havana Social. In fact, right before you leave, they give you a complimentary shot too. This is much needed after you get your bill and realize you probably went over budget for a typical day/night out. Don’t worry. It’s worth it! More pics below.

Tribeca eats

My little sister decided to come up and celebrate her birthday here in New York. Of course I created a nice itinerary which included great places to eat, touristy things like visit Times Square and Central Park and picked a handful of nightlife events. One of the main requests she gave me was to have an awesome dinner, preferably at a steakhouse. Since I enjoy food so much and live for trying new places to dine, my quest to find the perfect place for dinner started about 2 weeks prior to her visit. The choice for the evening is none other than American Cut. This is a modern steakhouse in the Tribeca area serving some of the best steaks I’ve had so far.

You walk in to such a beautiful decor with the dim lighting and such a simple yet elegant table setting. To start, we went with their rendition of the wedge salad called ‘Black Knife Wedge’ which is your typical iceberg lettuce, blue cheese and bacon. Too fancy it up a bit theirs also had sun-dried tomatoes and croutons which were a nice touch. For the entree, I decided to have the filet mignon and the dry aged potatoes with bacon and mushrooms. The filet literally melted in my mouth and the roasted potatoes were simply amazing. My sister went with the restaurant’s staple steak choice, the New York City cut, which was also very delicious as its cooked with pastrami spices and smoked to perfection. You can also add different sauces or butter if you like but I stuck with the special made steak sauce that’s made in house. Delectable is an understatement when trying to describe the dinner here at American Cut. The restaurant choice was a hit for the birthday celebration and I will definitely be back to dine here again! Check out pics of some our food choices below.