You probably think this post is déjà vu as I already described twice my experience at Chimichurri Grill, once in their Midtown East location where I was invited for a blog dinner, another one when I went to their restaurant in Hell's Kitchen with some friends. I have been talking so much about this Argentinian Steakhouse that Jodi absolutely wanted to go there; so I booked a table on Opentable for a Friday night and here we were, at Chimichurri Grill East, in their beautiful dining room.

Kame Ramen was not our first target, not really sure where we would go, but looking for some comfort food as the temperature was cold. As we were walking on Park Avenue, we noticed this place that seem to have a nice atmosphere.

I passed so many times in front of Alpha Fusion, mistakenly not noticing a place that serves some fantastic pan Asian cuisine: Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese mainly and more intriguing, a wide choice of vegetarian dishes. There, I spoke a bit with Chef Henry Yang who I met few months ago in Brooklyn. Owner of Alpha Fusion, that he opened 10 years ago, Chef Yang is passionate about his food: we talked about his upbringing when he came at age 16 in the US from China, and how he learned to make Japanese cuisine.

On a Saturday, after seeing The Darkest Hour with Gary Oldman in Times Square, we decided to eat in Hell's Kitchen with in mind an Asian cuisine. We stumbled upon Ajisai, a place we passed in front of many times, but that seemed to be always packed. We got lucky this time as only one booth was available for the three of us, my nephew being with us.

We were looking for a place to go to have dinner with Jodi's cousin Rebecca, when we stumbled upon Hao Noodle & Tea by Madam Zhu's Kitchen. I had that place on my list, so I was glad to find it. Unfortunately, it was full and the only seats possible were at one of their large tables, in the middle of the amazing dining room that was dominated by interesting chandeliers. Yes, this place was packed and, after trying the food, I understood why.

I was really looking forward to try Indikitch, a fast casual chain serving Indian food that has been popping up across the city. So, on a Wednesday evening, we went there with Jodi and my nephew Valentin, in their Flatiron location. The place was not that crowded, quite spacious, with seats on the second floor. You could tell that lots of people went there before by just looking at the garbage cans that were overflowing, preventing people from throwing their trash and leaving it on tables. Or maybe the staff was too busy...

We were looking for an Italian place on a Saturday evening when we stumbled upon Lattanzi, an Italian restaurant located in the Theater District, right next to Becco, the popular place opened by  Lidia and Joe Bastianich. I admit that I was not sure what to expect, some of the places near Times Square being total let downs, and was really surprised about the quality of the food and the nice experience we had.

We were walking on Ditmars Boulevard in Astoria, when we noticed MP Taverna, a fairly big place serving Greek cuisine. Little we knew that this is one of the many restaurants of Chef Michael Psilakis and that we would have a great brunch there. The restaurant, with its rustic decor dominated by large windows, was not that crowded, allowing us to enjoy a quiet meal. 

I was having dinner with friends this week and they asked me if I knew of a place to go. Without hesitation, I chose Chimichurri Grill West in Hell's Kitchen, considering the fantastic feast, prepared by Chef Carlos Darquea, I had the week before at Chimichurri Grill East where I was invited for a blogger/influencer dinner. So yes, my expectations were high and I was not disappointed.

Lots of people are surprised to hear that you can get lunch and dinner at Ladurée, this place being known around the world for its macarons, that I admit are addictive. I was one of them. Well, until a friend of mine went there and told me about his meal, proposing to arrange a reservation as a knows the manager. So, we ended up at their location in Soho last Saturday. We entered in the restaurant and it was like stepping in a French salon de thé. 

This week, I was invited to Paname, a French restaurant located Midtown East that I visited few years ago, in another blogger dinner. The place did not change, dominated by its Art Nouveau paintings and mirrors, that give a certain feel to the place.

We were recently in Astoria, where Jodi lived when we met, and ended up at Tierras Colombianas, literally "Colombian soil", one of the many Colombian places in the area. 

It is quite a big place that has a big menu and we decided to share a bunch of sides, all very comforting and good. Here is what we had:

This week I was invited to Chimichurri Grill East, the outpost of Chimichurri Grill West, located in Hell's Kitchen, opened more than 18 years ago by Chef Carlos Darquea and his wife Alicia Rodriguez, who is the General Manager and Wine Director. There, I had a great time with my fellow bloggers / influencers, tasting an amazing menu that I did not expect and enjoying the company of Chef Carlos who spoke about each dish and wine (yes, each dish was paired with a wine chosen by Alicia and it was not small glasses...).