As we were walking in Chelsea, we stumbled upon Co Ba, a small Vietnamese restaurant and decided to have lunch there to try their banh mi, a Vietnamese sandwich made with a French baguette. 

Co Ba is not that big, quite narrow in the back, with a simple but nice decor. 

Menu wise, they have some interesting items, going from traditional (like the chicons or moules frites) to classic American like their burger. For our appetizer, we decided to go with the croquettes aux truffes that were quite delicious, the golden brown outside being very slightly crispy, enveloping a nice and gooey mushroom filling. 

We were going to an art gallery on my birthday and stumbled upon Wafels and Dinges, an outpost of the now famous Belgian waffle truck (more than a truck today...). Nice place with the yellow color being omnipresent, and with various waffle makers hanging around. 

It has been a while since we wanted to go back to Porter House, the fancy steakhouse located in the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle. We went there three years ago for a lunch during Restaurant Week and promised ourselves that we we will go back for dinner one day. That day had come. We went on a Friday and I could not believe how packed this place was. I wished we had a table next to the windows so we could have a view of Columbus Circle, but unfortunately, it was not possible.

On a weekday, Jodi and I decided to have lunch at Grand central Oyster Bar, a place I always wanted to try. We went for a late lunch and, when we arrived, this place was packed and noisy. Fortunately, half way to our meal, people started to leave. This is an amazing place, benefiting from the beautiful architecture of the famous train station. 

We were leisurely walking in Chelsea when we saw Le Grainne Cafe, a French restaurant that was packed for a late Saturday brunch (when we arrived for sure, the restaurant emptying as we left). You would think that the name is French, but in fact not really. Yes, there is a word for grain that is very close to that (La Graine), but in fact, Grainne is the name of the Irish owner of the restaurant.

It's been a while since we wanted to go to Stacks Pancake House and Cafe, but I admit that I always got discouraged by the line outside on the weekends. So, when we got an opportunity to go for lunch on a weekday, we did not hesitate. I went there back in 2012, at the time when it did not offer the BBQ menu that was introduced much later. 

I recently noticed an increase in the number of restaurants serving poke (pronounce "po-keh"), this raw fish salad that is served as an appetizer in Hawaiian cuisine. And Hoboken is not forgotten: few weeks ago, Makai Poke Co opened on Washington street, greeting customers with a cheerful "Aloha".

Last Friday, Jodi and I went to Yo! Sushi, a restaurant near the Flatiron that opened a month ago. I really wanted to try it as they have a kaiten conveyor belt, a fun way to eat sushi. 

I was recently invited by NYC Ferry to an influencer event at the Rockaway Brewing Company in Long Island City. NYC Ferry will launch a new service in the Summer stretching 60 miles of waterway routes, so New Yorkers (and others) can discover new parts of the city, taste new flavors and embark on new cultural adventures in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. 

Opened since 1852, Urbani Truffles is a 6 generation family business that can argue to be the largest purveyor of truffles in the world, with approximately 18,000 truffle hunters, sourcing this delicious fungus mainly in Italy, France, Spain and Australia. Urbani Truffles is not unknown to me as I use some of their products when cooking and I was excited when invited to their truffle lab for a happy hour of truffle burgers and beer

My cousin Sarah was visiting and wanted to have a burger, a classic dish representing Americana. She lives in the U.K. Where they often go to Shake Shack that has an outpost (maybe several) in London, so not craving it, but still wanting to eat one in New York. She told us that she heard good things about Black Iron Burger, but, based on a previous disappointing experience there, I persuaded her to go 5 Napkin Burger, one of my top burger places in the city. 

Last week, we were looking for a French restaurant and ended up at Gentleman Farmer on the Lower East Side. This small 20 seat place is unnoticeable, but, to my surprise, served some delicious food crafted by Chef Karim Nounouh. There, the Chef serves seasonal dishes inspired by French cuisine. 

I recently went back at Tout Va Bien, a French restaurant Midtown with an interesting kind of overdone decor and a nice atmosphere filled with French music. Not the best French restaurant in town, but it serves a pretty decent food with prices that are not outrageous. Tout Va Bien has been feeding the New York crowd since 1948, a longevity that cannot be ignored for sure. 

Looking for good deals at steakhouses, I heard about the lunch prix-fixe at Ruth's Chris from one of my colleagues and decided to check it out. For a little less than $29, they offer a 2 1/2 course with a pretty interesting selection of dishes. 2 1/2 is an odd number and you will soon understand what the 1/2 is...

Alright, I admit that China Green was not our first choice: we wanted to try Dim Sum Palace in Hell's Kitchen as we keep seeing a large crowd each time we passed in front of it. I was surprised how big the place was, with its dining room in the back. It was not as crowded as the other place, but still, we decided to give it a try.

Hidden in a paved street of Soho, Kelley and Ping is a surprising find in an area crowded with tourists from all over the world. We went there last Friday, after receiving an invitation from the restaurant and I was definitely curious to try their pan-Asian dishes, some of them being inspired by street food. Entering there is like stepping into another world and forgetting that you are in Manhattan.

I was recently interviewed by the news agency, KeepInNews, who was investigating the popularity of cassoulet, a hearty French dish that is more and more proposed on menus in New York restaurants. The footage (copyright TV5Monde) that you can watch below has been broadcasted on TV5MONDE, a global television channel in French.