Ai Fiori

After a meeting in midtown, I decided to stop here for lunch. Ai Fiori was written up in a few publications, and I've been wanting to stop in. I had thought the restaurant was on the first floor, but no, it's on the second. The dining room is beautiful, and each table was graced with a fresh arrangement of exquisite flowers.

I looked at the cocktail list, and selected the only vodka specialty cocktail offered. It was a little sour with the juice they used. It was not my thing. The lunch menu is available a la carte, or as a prix fixe where you select an appetizer and entree.

I selected the fresh sardine appetizer. I've been seeing more and more about fresh sardines in the foodie world and wanted to try them. As I waited, I wondered if they would like anything like the smelts we used to catch ice fishing. Welp - I don't know what sardines taste like if they were caught the same day as you eat them (like the smelts) but these were pretty fishy. The tomato relish on the plate would cover the fishyness, but I would not order these again.

As I waited for my entree, I looked around the room - the room was pretty, but the view, not so much. Those flowers add a lot.

When my entree came, it looked quite nice. It's a veal agnolotti. When I cut one of those fluffy pillows in half, and tried that bite. And it was heavenly. I called over a bus boy and asked him to send someone to recommend a wine to go with this work of art. By my 5th bite or so, my wine had arrived, and I had the pleasure of enjoying the obviously homemade pasta filled with savory minced veal. This I would order again :)

Ai Fiori is a business lunch locale - not a ladies who lunch locale. The dining room has a nice light during the day, but I don't think this section of 5th Ave would be too pretty at night. Despite the amazing service at this restaurant, for the money there are many other places I'd rather go.

Hairy Monk - Great Boston Pub in NYC

We have finally found a place to watch the Patriots when they are not on TV! The Hairy Monk is a Boston Pub - they play all Boston teams with the sound! It's an oasis in the city of Jets and Giants :)

The first trip for us was the day after Christmas. After we left NH early to get home prior to the big snow storm, we walked down to 25th and 3rd to see the 1:00 Patriots style football. It was snowing sideways, and that storm actually dumped 20" of snow. 

I got excited because the menu indicated they had Redhook ESB on tap, and it's one of my faves. But no, you can't trust the menu, or the beer list on the wall. The waitress suggested the Harpoon Winter Warmer. We tried it, but it was just a little too much like pumpkin beer to me...That's ok though, because they have a nice selection of 8 or 10 on tap.

While enjoying the pre-game we ordered some nachos to start. This is a huge and delicious tower of power! The chili is not in any way wimpy - put on your big girl panties because it is SPICY! Delicious spicy not crazy spicy, and the flavor is really great. Usually these Irish Pubs are more mild even if you ask for spice, so it was a pleasant surprise! The table behind us ordered buffalo wings, and wow, they smelled so good. That is on my list for next time :)

Murray Hill Haunt - The Wharf

I think I have found another good pub in Murray Hill! Yay! I stopped at The Wharf after doing power Christmas shopping. The best time to find a cool pub - when your feet hurt from walking all over town, and your packages are getting heavy. Trudge in the door, plop all your bags on the seat next to you at the bar, and gratefully sit down. If you are lucky, they will have Blue Point Toasted Lager on tap!

I saw on the specials board that the soup of the day was potato cheddar with bacon. Oh my. It warms the soul and dances on your tongue. It really should be on the regular menu, it's so fabulous!

I admit, in addition to the food, the other thing a cool pub requires are chairs with backs. Now these are the tables in the bar area - note there are not any backs to these chairs. The bar chairs have backs though :) I think it's important to have full disclosure.














After a cup of that incredible soup, I enjoyed the lobster macaroni and cheese. I told the bar tender - I'm a lobster snob. Is it really good? And she assured me she'd just had some last week, and she was pleasantly surprised how good it was. So was I! Yum!!!

The dish was appropriately cheesey with a decidedly cheddar slant. The pasta was cooked well - nothing mushy about it. Since the lobster consisted of claws and knuckles, I'd assume this was frozen fare, but in combination with the cheddar flavor, it really tasted fresh! There was a smattering of crunchy breadcrumbs on top - if you are into that you will be pleased. I'm not, but I still liked them.







If you find yourself in the Murray Hill area, ignore all the other pubs on Frat Row (aka 3rd Avenue in this area), and head straight to The Wharf. Good stuff there!

Jen and MJ visit NYC!

Jen and MJ planned a whirl wind trip to NYC for their 22nd wedding anniversary, and their 2 youngest luckily got to join as well. The only unfortunate part (well besides MJ being drenched in 3 belini's) was that it was a short visit. I met the clan outside Macy's and well all walked a few blocks to Legend's outside the Empire State Building.

We chatted and ate, and ate and chatted. Noah and MJ enjoyed 3 TVs worth of sports, with the occasional joke to share with the table. Jen, Molly and I talked fashion, college and girl talk, along with possible tentative plans to make another trip for Molly's 16th birthday in a little over a year.

Jen reminded me I hadn't seen her in over 6 years :( I sure hope the next visit doesn't take that long because this was a fun one :)

Slattery's Mid Town Pub

I love coming to this pub - it is my local, sit down and grab something to eat or to drink kind of place. One of the first times I went there was with Ann - we stopped on a pub crawl - thank goodness we had a burger. One of the best burgers in Mid Town!! No crumbly brioche buns here - wonderful medium rare beef with cheese in a roll that holds together with lettuce tomato and half sour pickles (my fave).

I also frequent the buffalo wings here - the hot are really medium and the deep fried skin is to die for. The home made bleu cheese dressing is amazing and the celery/carrot accountrements are tasty too!

If you get happy hour, you can get 2 for 1 drinks and/or shot of the day comps which could be the orange kamakazis that Ann and I had or perhaps Apple shots like an apple martini. They are very creative!!

If you find yourself between 5th and Madison, or across the street from the Gingerman, this place is a whole lot less snobby, and so much more welcoming. I love stopping here. Hope you decide to try it too!

Lunch in Grand Central

I met Rick for lunch at Grand Central this week. I haven't been here since working at the Palace, and it was funny how I saw it with fresh eyes. The windows are so beautiful, allowing a lot of natural light into the main hall. The architecture is amazing - I don't know of any other place like it.

We ate at Michael Jordan's Steakhouse - at the bar, and enjoyed some burgers and fries. We ordered our meat medium rare, and it definitely arrived medium well unfortunately. The draw here of course is being in the great hall, watching the world go by.

Suzee's Birthday Evening!

After work on Thursday, we had reservations for a recommended restaurant on Open Table at 7:30 - just enough time to stop sweating, freshen up on put on some special duds! We strolled down the street to Marcony. Now I've passed this unassuming entrance many times, but my goodness, I had no idea what magic happens beyond those front doors!

We were offered our option of tables, and we selected the back balcony for our meal. We were able to look at the entire dining room, and enjoy the gorgeous handmade chandelier. And amuse busche was brought out immediately - homemade cheese ravioli which had been toasted and dressed with a light marinara. Oh my - nice bites :)

We ordered cocktails to start, and I have to tell you, these are truely works of art. I selected the TRE VOLTE – It was described in the menu as a lovely blend of Ketel Citroen, falanghina bianco, limoncello and muddled basil. It was very lovely, and and such a wonderful melange of flavors. Rick selected the Elana Cocktail – a combination of Grey Goose Poire, a touch of elderflower and a topping of prosecco. It was lovely as well - I thought it might be overly pear like, but no, subtle hints of flavors - nothing hitting you over your head. The person who created these cocktails is a true mixologist in my opinion.

 
For appetizers, I selected the grilled shrimp and avocado special. The shrimp was fresh and perfectly cooked, and the avocado was a beautiful pale green, nary a blemish, and smooth and savory.

Rick selected the beet salad - it was very fresh, and he enjoyed the golden and red beets.

Now, there were a number of specials this evening - a list so long that I could not remember them. If I were to give any feedback at all to this lovely restaurant, it would be to leave a hard copy of the specials after they are verbally delivered.

At any rate I asked the server for help deciding between the branzino special and the chilean sea bass which is on the regular menu. The branzino it was, and the fish was perfectly cooked, and fabulously fresh. You all know how hard I look for fresh seafood, and how I'm not easily pleased in the city that doesn't sleep. I was very pleased this evening! The branzino was fresh fresh fresh and perfectly cooked :)

Rick ordered the black angus sirloin steak, medium rare. The steak was very flavorful, but definitely more on the medium side, which is great for Rick. It's just always good to know how the chef views medium rare vs medium or rare. The dish came with a light mushroom gravy that he did not care for at all. I thought it was tasty, but I do like my mushrooms.

With our meals, a trio of complementary tastes were brought - roasted new potatoes which were very hot, and then cool sauteed zucchini and a cool eggplant dip. Very tasty!

I wore this ring and bracelet set with my birthday dress - I bought these when we were at York Beach, Maine at the Daisy Trading Company. I've gotten so many complements, and the bracelet is a nice size so it's nice and loose :)

After Marcony, we decided to go out and party a little more - it was a celebration after all :) We ordered some wine at the Banc Cafe and chit chatted about love and life. When the wine was gone we were ready for dessert, and ordered this apple torte. It was not as good as mom makes, but it was nice to have a little something sweet to share.

And, on the way home, we saw the Empire State Building was lit up for a celebration. Looks like many people were having a good time in the city.

Bryant Grill Brunch - Delicioso!

Rick and I braved the heat today and headed over to the Bryant Park Grill. We were initially going to sit out side and read, but we realized our tummies were in need of a light little brunch. The lovely basket contained an assortment of mini muffins and tea breads - they were fresh and delicious. Well - the half of one I had was fresh and delicious. Rick said the rest were amazing :)

My omelet had fresh avacado and goat cheese, and it was perfectly cooked, soft and yummy. Fresh slices of tomato and grilled sweet onions were nice accompaniments.

Rick had the scrambled eggs with sausage, home fries and tomato slices - presented so nicely!

Even though it was was warm today, this alfresco brunch was a nice quiet respite in the crazy city. I'm giving it 2 thumbs up!

Happy Birthday Rick!

Rick's birthday was last night, and I knew he was so in the mood for brownies. So when I got out of work, I ran home and made them :) The whip up quickly, and I stopped at the corner store to get a little whipping cream for the chocolate glaze, and vanilla ice cream to make it just a tad bit more special :) I love these happy birthday candles - I got them at Pier II for $3. When you are older than the number of candles it takes to spell Happy Birthday, then this is the way to go :)

I got a bouquet of balloons to decorate the apartment too. Very festive!

And for dinner, I ordered salad, lasagna, a side of meatballs and garlic bread from the Firehouse pizza place. It worked out really well and since I had already made the brownies, I didn't feel too slug like ordering dinner. I knew Rick would very much prefer to stay in rather than go out. I set the table with nice dishes and opened a nice bottle of Chianti.

Rick's ordering a new monitor for his computer for his present as soon as he figures out which one he wants :)

Happy Birthday lover~ xo

El Rio Grande

Rick and I went out for a late brunch today - around 4:00 we made our way over El Rio Grande which is on the second floor over Duke's on 38th and 3rd. You access the restaurant and spacious outdoor patio from 38th Street. You will pay a premium for eating on this spacious deck, but it's all good when the weather is amazing like it was today.

We sat and ordered a pitcher of red sangria after the waitress raved about it. It was rather kool-aid like - I'm not sure we would order it again, but it was a nice drink in the sun, so maybe we would... Just don't expect a complex rich sangria that you might get at a good cuban place or better yet, Dos Caminos.

We got a basket of crunchy corn tortilla chips - the thick and heavy ones, and a few bowls of delicious salsa - the salsa is smoky and spicy but not overly so...

Rick was so good - he ordered the Fajita Salad with steak - they cooked it to order - medium rare - but it arrived cold unfortunately. I ordered the chicken enchiladas with refried beans, and it also came with rice. There was just enough cheese so there was some, but my 2 enchiladas were filled only with chicken, nicely cooked, so I didn't feel too badly about the calories which must have been fewer than ususal for chicken enchiladas which are swimming in cheese.

El Rio Grande is close enough to the apartment that it will probably be a summer staple. I won't forget about my beloved Baby Bo's though :)

Pershing Square Outdoor Cafe

 Rick called me Thusday after work to see if I was interested in an apres work cocktail alfresco. He saw that there were tables open at Pershing Square where the street is blocked on the southbound side of Park between 42nd and 41st. It's right across from Grand Central Terminal, with lots of space.

I put my clothes back on since I had already changed in to my cozies, and took a stroll over to find Rick and the table he was saving for us. When I arrived the waiter quickly brought drinks and let us peruse the menus. They have a bar menu and a dinner menu. Lots of great snacks to choose from, Rick decided on the chicken tenders, and I was going to have the shrimpcargo (essentially a scampi minus the pasta I believe), but the waiter sold me on trying the soft-shelled crabs. Now, despite spending many summers on a lobster boat where we caught many blue crabs as well, I'd never had this delicacy. So I figured as a seafood goddess, I should at LEAST try them.

Now, soft shell crabs are crabs which have recently molted. I remember seeing lobsters with paper thin shells, but not any crabs. That doesn't mean there weren't any, just that I didn't see them from my perch in front of the windshield where my parents could be sure that little feet didn't get caught in the ropes and pulled overboard.

My crabs came looking something like this photo. I pulled them apart a bit - the legs stay attached to the body sections that are filled with crab meat, and you just pop the whole thing in your mouth. It was nice - essentially I think the draw to these little buggers is that you can deep fry them. Crab meat is too delicate to fry normally - it would just fall apart. So the papery skin that would eventually be a shell contains the sweet meat so it can be rolled around in egg, flour and/or bread crumbs. People do eat the crabs whole in sandwiches, but frankly I didn't really see the purpose of eating the top shell as mine were sitting on my plate with a small hearts of palm salad next to it (I don't care for hearts of palm). I would have these again sometime, perhaps at a chinese food place as they can have some interesting preparations.

I imagine we will definitely hit the outdoor seating at Pershing Square again too.

Keen's Steakhouse Pub, a comfortable place

Rick and I had a date night not too long ago at Keen's. I'd heard that they have good happy hour snacks, so I figured, what the heck? Let's check it out!

I arrived a little early at a quarter past 5, figuring I'd secure us a good table. I was amazed. Every single spot in the bar was taken! They were serving these really good looking meatballs, so I was a little bummed. Thankfully, the pub is in the middle (between the bar and the dining room), and I was able to take a seat since no reservations are required for the pub.

Rick ended up stuck at work for a little while, so I was at my table for 4, by myself with a magazine, for longer than I would have chosen. I have to say, though, never once did I feel like the waiter was concerned about my camping spot where turnover wasn't happening any time soon. I very much appreciated that.

Rick arrived, and we enjoyed a cocktail while we perused the menu. The other nice thing about the pub is that you have the option of ordering from the dinner menu, or from the pub menu. I ordered the pub sized mutton chop, because this is what Keen's is known for. And I will say, after eating almost every delicious bite I can see why! Rick had a bite or 2, and not being a lamb boy, that's impressive!

I enjoyed Keen's, and I'm looking forward to going again. Maybe I'll be able to snag a meatball next time :)

The Silver Leaf Tavern, a relaxing afterwork locale

I got off the bus after riding for quite a while yesterday - the rain made it pretty depressing, and since I didn't sleep, it was long.

Rick called just as he was about to leave work to kindly offer to meet somewhere after for a cocktail, even though he was not in the mood. I was tired enough that I took him up on it.

I've been wanting to try the Silver Leaf Tavern on 70 Park for a while. There are signs outside about happy hour - $5 well drinks, $5 wine and $4 bottled beer with $2 and $5 bites. I like a deal, so what the heck?

We walked in around 6:30 ( happy hour is 5 - 7) and looked at the menu. It was the regular menu and martinis and specialty cocktails were $15, and appetizers were available. Someone at the bar asked for a happy hour martini, so we asked the bartender about it. She brought out the happy hour menu. Regular well martinis, cosmos and manhattans were $5 - we ordered a cosmo for me, and a manhattan for Rick, and a bowl of spiced nuts for $2 ($7 on the regular menu). They were fine - premade and stored in the fridge, and the nuts were a mix of peanuts and others. They had live music (Tuesday nights and Thursday nights only) which was nice, and with good seats at the bar to catch up on our days. There was a nice upscale feel to this place, and we enjoyed the ambiance. I'd call it a hidden gem even though the martinis were not shaken or stirred. Don't go often - I want to be sure I get a seat next time ;)

Macaron Cafe - ooh-wee - these are good!

While I was with Kathy and her gang this week, and we were making our way back to the parking garage when I stumbled upon the MacarOn Cafe on 161 West 36th Street. I have been reading about macarons on the Foodbuzz entries lately (just go to Foodbuzz from the ad to the left, and search on macaron for a number of entries).

When I first read about these gorgeous little treats, I was confused. I'd never heard of a macaron. I'd heard of a macaroon - and these are obviously not those. And I thought, I need to find some of these babys - they must be here in the city that doesn't sleep!

So, when I stumbled upon this adorable little shop, I had to sneak in while the valet brought Kathy her car. The case was filled with fluffy gem like cookies, and they are flavors like lavender honey, grapefruit, passion fruit and creme de sal. I could have easily found a couple dozen to take home, but I was able to hold myself back. I bought a box of 6, which were placed in a beautiful see-thought box which lined the cookies up in a pretty row, and the box was placed in a special clear shopping bag which allows anyone walking by you to see your treats (and probably makes them think - oooh! I want some of those!).

When I got home, Rick and I tasted and savored them. The outside is a poof or a light crack as you break the tender outter shell. Then the cookie becomes pleasingly chewy with light sweet filling inside. These are a serious treat!

If you do go to Foodbuzz, you will see entries about how to make these. And, if you don't have a macaron shop near you, I highly recommend you set aside a day to try them. But if you are lucky, really really lucky, and you have a shop near by, go immediately! Macarons are a special treat :)

Girly Shopping with Kathy, Sarah and Michele

Kathy, Sarah and Michele met me at the 32nd Street entrance to Macy's for an afternoon full of shopping! We made our way to the Junior department on 4 - once Sarah and Michele were safely ensconced in the clearance area, Kath and I went up a couple floors to do some of our own shopping! After a few hours, and many cell phone check ins, we took our well won spoils over to Legends for a good shopping day lunch! I had the steak salad, Kath went for the fish and chips, Sarah had the sliders, and Michele had the macaroni and cheese - we ate well, and were thankful to rest our feet!! Next we took a cab over to Times Square so Sarah and Michele could shop more - after a couple stores Sarah kindly treated us to coffee at Starbucks. Kath and I took a seat in the new chairs on Broadway, and the girls shopped even more. We were going to hit Madame Toussauds, but everyone was TOO TIRED from our big game hunting!! What a great day. Hope you drive back to Foxwoods safely Kath!!

Lan Sheng - Yum Yum Yum

Rick called me today and suggested we go out to lunch. He figured he was going to be toast by the end of the day, so why not share a little time while we were both more awake ;) I remembered an entry on Mid Town Lunch that intrigued me enough to email it Rick, thinking to myself, hmmm it's in my email so I'll be able to find it when we do go to lunch. That was January 6th, so I'm pretty impressed I was able to find it!

Lan Sheng is at 60 W 39th Street - the rough area fades away when you step inside and are pleasantly surprised by pretty banquettes and tables, snuggled together as they are everywhere in the city. We were quickly seated, and took Zack's recommendations. Rick had the Lan Sheng Special Chicken, boneless chicken with crispy skin, served on a bed of shredded lettuce, with a nice flavor that I only got a glimpse of....my dish, the Double Sauteed Pork was spicy warm, with a delicious sauce and sauteed spicy warm peppers and scallions, and it was much stronger than Rick's. So after a couple of  bites of mine, his didn't really tast like much. He liked it though :) Rick also liked the positive vibe of the joint :) Lunch dishes here are served with a soup or spring roll to start, and are only $6.95 each.

There are table tents describing specials on every table using only asian symbols and the amount of the dish. As we were finishing up our meal, exclaiming at how much we liked it, a group sat at the banquette near us. They must have been regulars, because the guy immediately exclaims with a chuckle in his voice "Hey, I can't read this - what are the specials??" The waiter laughed and said "I will order for you." Another of the group started looking at the lunch special menus from which Rick and I had ordered. The waiter laughed more and said, "That is no good. I will order for you." I'm dying to know what the waiter brought them! After that I decided I may as well take a photo of our empty plates! I know, silly, but it was too good to take a photo after only one bite!

Asia de Cuba - an NYC delight!

Last night Rick and I made our way over to Madison between 37th and 38th, and found the secret entrance to Asia de Cuba. OK, it's not really a secret, but you could easily walk by if you didn't know it was there. When you walk in the door, floor to ceiling sheer curtains blow around you as you approach the maitre 'd. It's very dramatic! We checked our coats and headed to the bar for a pre-dinner cocktail. We sat on these high bar chairs which allow you to look down over the whole dining room. Last night the sheers were back lit with red lights rather than the white in these photos I snagged from their web site. We ordered a couple of red sangrias ($8) which were delicious!

Next we moved to the dining room, and we sat at a table from the perspective of this photo, where we could see the light box mural of the waterfall. We came for restaurant week, and the waiter explained that for 2 people, the restaurant week menu includes 2 appetizers and 1 entree. There was some kind of climbing scale as you add people to your table. You can find this on the web site I'm sure - do take a look if you are planning to go. Our first appetizer was a dish of beautifully seared sea scallops. Rick even ate one :) The were fresh and light, and very very large, with 4 on a plate. The next appetizer was an order of beef dumplings. We love steamed pork dumplings and always order them for take out. This order had 3 fried and 3 steamed - I liked the fried ones. The were crisp all over and filled with a beefy mixture that still had tiny chunks of beef in it. There was a nice sweet sauce, and it was a nice combination. The steamed dumplings I didn't care for - the filling was mushy, without a nice flavor and they fell apart. The presentation was beautiful - I wish I'd remembered my camera.

For the entree, we ordered the bbq chicken. It. Was. Amazing. This was a true fusion dish - the sauce was just great - spicy, sweet, salty, sour - all that ying/yang stuff. I wish there had been enough to take home, because I would love some for lunch today! (sniff...)

After the entree, the waiter said that a dessert was included with our restaurant week meal. He suggested the coconut cake, and it was good. The cake layers were essentially macaroons, and it was served with a delicious ice cream. The serving was very large - there must have been 3000 calories in that cake alone. Thankfully we were able to exercise some restraint and only ate a small part. The remaining hunk of cake was whisked away - I'm kind of surprised they didn't ask us if we wanted to take it home, but we dodged the rest of that calorie bullet!

When the bill came, we had a bit of a surprise. I knew there was a $10 surcharge on the scallops as it was noted on the menu. What it didn't say was it per person. So the scallop appetizer costed us $20 more. If I had known, I wouldn't have ordered it. The other thing was we asked the waiter about the pitcher of sangria, and whether it was a better deal than the glasses. He indicated it was, but infact, sangria is actually cheaper by the glass.

Even though the charges were a sour end to the meal, I would go back (and not order the scallops or a pitcher of sangria). The drama of the atmosphere and quality of food was good. Plus it's a quick walk from the apartment :)