Named after Nice (Nizza in Italian), a city in the French Riviera, Nizza is an Italian restaurant located in Hell’s Kitchen. It’s been a while we talked about going there for dinner, Jodi having gone there few times with her friends and me just trying the brunch few years back. That day, the place was crowded and loud, especially before 7:30pm, as filled with lots of theater goers, but also the table of four behind us loud enough to have been heard all the way on Mars.
There are few restaurants in Times Square that are little gem and Inakaya is surely one of them and there is one thing I always recommend that is to eat at the counter. There, you not only observe what is going on in the kitchen, watching the staff grilling meat, seafood or vegetables, you get the little show which is how they bring some of the dishes to your table, by simply putting them on a long paddle and handing over the dish to you from afar.
So we are back at Barbés, the Moroccan-French restaurant located uptown Hoboken. But this time, I wanted to try their French dishes, the past times having indulged in their couscous and tagines that are very good. After this visit, I remain convinced that this is the spot for moroccan cuisine, less for French. Take the confit de canard for instance: good, not salty, but the skin was charred. For sure, a crispy skin is a must have with a duck confit, but they pushed it a bit far. The steak au poivre, a nice piece of sirloin smothered in a nice peppercorn sauce was also decent…
We were looking for a brunch place in Chelsea when we saw Mexicue, a Mexican BBQ place that started as a food truck many years ago and spawn into a popular restaurant with three locations in the city. I love this place but admit that dinner can be a bit overcrowded and noisy. But this was our first time in their spacious Chelsea location and I was glad it was on out path: the food there is really good and you may not elect to choose from their brunch menu that is limited and does not offer some of the succulent dishes they offer on their regular menu. For instance, I love the fact that they offer tacos by the piece, allowing you to try several of them and making your own combination.
Located on the Lower East Side, I admit that Minnie’s was not our first choice for brunch, but the place we wanted to try was packed, so we walked around and found this place that had a nice atmosphere, quite relaxed, bright, with a decor that probably shocks prude customers (check out the pillows in the photo below).
Our last stop on Jodi’s birthday was Don Antonio, a pizza joint located midtown from the owner of Kesté Pizza & Vino, Roberto Caporuscio, that serves fried pizza. Yes, you read it well: fried pizza. But do not imagine something gross: this is a bit crispy and delicious, while being very slightly greasy. Not that all their pizza is like that, but usually, when we go there or talk about this place, this is what we get:
Billy's Bakery in TriBeCa
After our lunch at Joe’s Ginger, Jodi wanted cake for her birthday. So, after checking few places like Harbs and Baked, we ended up at Billy’s Bakery in TriBeCa. I love this place: when you enter, you get that fantastic smell that makes you want to try everything they are making in the back kitchen.
Dining room at Billy's Bakery in TriBeCa
Dining room at Billy's Bakery in TriBeCa
Hesitating between the beautiful cupcakes they have and a slice of cake, Jodi finally went for the latter and chose the crowd pleaser with vanilla frosting that was a moist cake with chocolate in the center.
Crowd pleaser cake at Billy's Bakery in TriBeCa
On my side, I did not hesitate and picked the banana cream pie that is amazing: creamy with lots of slices of banana, a good way to get your daily serving of fruit.
Banana cream pie at Billy's Bakery in TriBeCa
If you do not know Billy’s Bakery, check it out: they have great cupcakes and cakes. I definitely recommend it.
Enjoy (I did)!
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Billy’s Bakery - 75 Franklin Street, New York 10013
For her birthday, Jodi had two requests: pizza and Chinese food at Joe’s Ginger, the sister restaurant of Joe’s Shanghai, few doors away. Not that it has been a while since she went there as it is her go to restaurant when she craves Chinese cuisine, her last visit being in April when her friend Pam came to visit: she simply likes it and enjoys the vegetarian dishes they offer, with their classic scallion pancakes that are always a treat: hot, crispy and slightly greasy, they are very comforting.
