So we are back at Narcissa! After trying their brunch few weeks ago, we were curious to see how the dinner would be. And we were not disappointed except with the desserts that are too fussy unfortunately.

When we arrived, I was surprised to see that this place was not crowded for a Friday evening, thinking that maybe people focused on places that proposed a Restaurant Week menu, Narcissa not being one of them. I am not going to complain though as the lesser the diners, the lower the noise level.

It’s been a while since we went to Basta Pasta, a couple of blocks from Union Square and, as we had to be in that area, we decided to go back there for dinner. I could not believe how packed this place was, from the beginning to the moment when we left, several people waiting near the entrance for a table at 9pm. For sure, the kitchen was a bit backed up, a large table not helping, but our waiter did a good job keeping us posted as to when our dishes would come.

After a first visit at Kellari Taverna, a Greek restaurant located two blocks from Bryant Park, I decided to have dinner there again with Jodi on a Friday evening. The first time I went (no photo, sorry), I was really excited as their fish (they serve fresh sustainable fish that is on a beautiful display) was very good: I first was going for the barbounia aka rouget aka red mullet, but that day they did not have any. So I had the filet of sole that they deboned for me perfectly and was the star, not smothered with any sauce So you could really get its delicious taste.

We passed so many times in front of La Bonbonniere in the West Village that we were curious to know what this place was, the restaurant having a French name meaning the candy box. So we decided to go for an early brunch on a Saturday as each time we saw that place, there were people waiting outside.

There is a new bakery in Hoboken, but this time, a Taiwanese bakery with European influences: SunMerry. Not their first location is the US though as they have few in California as well as New Jersey, and I even passed by a store under renovation in New York that should be opening soon. So we decided to check it out for breakfast. I admit that I was a bit disappointed to see that they do not have anywhere to sit, and so it is a grab and go kind of place. Hopefully they will have outside seating when the weather is nice so you can relax with a coffee (no espresso though) or tea and some treats.

It’s been a while since we had Prato Bakery on Washington street in Hoboken in our sights and we finally decided to try this place two weekends in a row. Prato Bakery is small with only few seats inside, but fortunately outside seating during the warmer days.

When Taiwanese fried chicken meets bubble tea, it gives you an interesting fast food mix: this is what TKK Fried Chicken and Kung Fu’s Tea did this year in a location few steps from Madison Square Park. I love fried chicken, discovering it while living in Paris, at KFC! Yes, I know, it might not have been the best fried chicken but still, it is a good memory, similar to when I first tried chicken wings at...Pizza Hut! But, when I moved to New York many years back, I not only got introduced to its Southern roots, especially accompanied with a waffle, but also got my first Korean fried chicken that I adore even more. But Taiwanese?

I had Narcissa on my long list of restaurants to visit for a while now and it is finally when Jodi’s cousin Rebecca proposed to go there for brunch that we ended up at the New American restaurant of Chef John Fraser (Nix, The Terrace and The Outdoor Gardens) at the Standard Hotel in the East Village. Of course, as usual, we had an early meal that is often my favorite way of enjoying restaurants, the crowd not only increasing drastically the noise level but also often slowing down the kitchen.

It has been so long that we wanted to go for dinner at L’Amico, the restaurant from Chef Laurent Tourondel where we had a great brunch last year. So, we finally decided to go there on a Friday evening. I am not sure it was a good move: it was packed, extremely loud and the service was disappointing, to the point that we asked one of the managers if somebody would take our order! Well, he could have been more gracious about it and at least apologize instead of giving us the feeling he was annoyed by our request. It was thanks to him in fact that my cocktail, ordered 25 minutes before, came to the table. It was the Brooklyn Bound, made with Smooth Ambler Contradiction whiskey, …

I was recently invited at Asset on the Upper West Side to try their brunch. This Modern American restaurant that serves a cuisine with Mediterranean influences is the result of the collaboration of Larry Bellone and Will Tracy, the owners of Tessa, a place on Amsterdam Avenue that I discovered few years ago (Asset is in fact Tessa spelled backward). With its industrial feel and stunning horseshoe staircase, Asset has a beautiful decor from the same architect who designed Tessa. I particularly like the booths in the back that give an intimate feel to a meal.

It is not my first time at Nusr-Et, the Eponymous restaurant of fame Chef better known as Saltbae made famous by his exaggerated gesture when putting salt on meat, the salt dropping on his forearm into the meat (not so sanitary). The place was quite busy for a Tuesday evening with few large tables and even with a reservation, we were invited to wait at the bar until our table (that was not occupied finally, would be ready. A good trick from restaurants to have you order drinks. 10 minutes after the time of the reservation, we finally got seated. Yes, crowded and not so loud at the beginning despite the presence of a …

There are few things I am looking forward to eat during the cold days: cheese fondue, raclette, cassoulet, ramen and hot cocoa. And as we were looking for a new place for hot cocoa, we found Mariebelle in Soho. As you enter, you first see the elegant shop where they sell all sorts of chocolates and then, in the back, is the Cacao Bar, a small room that was packed. Too packed in fact and they should probably remove few tables so you are not literally back to back with the party behind you. We also saw a group of six women who were trying to get high tea in a very uncomfortable setting, the tables being too small for that.

After the succulent dinner we had at Black Barn, north of Madison Square Park, we were really excited to go back there for brunch. Unfortunately, it did not go as planned, the food being good but the service horrible: my drink took forever to come and we had to wait 45 minutes between the moment we finished our appetizer and the entrees, inquiring twice about our order without any feedback from the staff who never checked with us if everything was ok or if we needed anything. And it was not just for us as the tables nearby seemed to have had the same issue. No, it seems the staff was more occupied with taking care of a private party and setting up a large table than with the people seated.

I was craving BBQ and planned to go to a place on the Upper West Side (no, not Dinaosaur) but we finally changed course and looked up places Midtown. That is how we ended up at Mason Jar. BBQ, Bourbon and Beer are the three main items they serve there, but, although I love whisky and they have a wide selection, I was not in the mood for it. No, I wanted BBQ and Jodi who is vegetarian was a good sport about it (well as long as there is something on the menu for her: we both have to eat!). And there was:…

We were in Chelsea looking for a restaurant when we stumbled upon Excellent Dumpling House. With the word dumpling in its name, it did not take long for us to decide to eat there, focusing exclusively on their dim sum section. As we entered, we thought we would not be able to get a table as it was packed with one very large table making so much noise that when they left, we felt some sort of relief. I should mention that at some point, a woman sitting next to us as the waiter if their soups contained MSG as she is allergic: the waiter responded affirmatively but told her that they could make a soup without MSG if she’d like, invitation that she declined. As she left, …

It’s been a while since we wanted to dine at Keming in Hoboken, especially as we saw that they have dim sum. But I admit that I was a bit nervous because lots of Chinese restaurants use MSG and a large amount gives me a terrible headache (cream of tartar helps though). So we decided to go on a Saturday evening. Although it was not crowded, the place filled up quickly.

They have a large menu but we mainly focused on the dim sum. Here is what we tried:…

I always enjoy a big bowl of ramen during the cold days and we were looking for a new place to go following a fantastic lunch at Ippudo, one if not my favorite ramen place in the city. That is how we ended up at Teppen Ramen, Midtown East. As we arrived, the small place was not that crowded but started to fill up as we ate our soups.

I do not know if you have noticed that Indikitch, the Indian fast casual chain changed its name few months ago to Deep, a less meaningful name that simply associates the restaurant with its new owner, Deep Food Inc. Surfing on the fast casual craze, this place serves a bunch of classic Indian dishes: biryanis, chicken tikka Masala, lamb vindaloo...with the possibility to mix and match protein (Chicken, lamb, paneer -they also have grilled mushrooms for vegetarians) and sauces (tikka Masala, vindaloo, korma, saag, kadai). But when we saw they have Kati rolls, these Indian wraps made with paratha bread, we could not resist. Each order comes with two Kati rolls but they are a bit rigid with the order as they refuse to accommodate a different filling for each roll and you end up with two of the same. Well, I should mention…

Last Tuesday, I was invited at Sushi by Bou in Jersey City, a hidden gem tucked in the back of Ani Ramen House on Newark Avenue, a less than a 10 minute walk from the Grove St Path train stop. Sushi by Bou (Bou comes from the name of the Chef and owner David Bouhadana), defines itself as a omakase speakeasy that is the right way to define it: a speakeasy for its location as even being inside Ani Ramen House, I would have not find it if not directed (they are working on signage but it reminded me Burger Joint when it was a sort of secret place only few people knew about, hidden inside the Parker Méridien, …

We were in Long Island City for their artists open studios where Jodi participated and so I could not miss the occasion to go back to M Wells Steakhouse, few steps from the Court Street subway station.