Porter Collins, the new venue of Anthony and Liz Pino who gave us Anthony David's and Bin 14, opened just 2 months ago in an area that is developing. It is true that the North part of Hoboken needs more restaurants and Porter Collins is for sure a good addition, serving cocktails as well as a modern American menu. We went there early on a Saturday evening, still suffering from jet lag from our trip to France.
Interesting how things can be coincidental: I ended up at Thai Sliders in Chelsea the day my friend Benny told me about this place, although he was referring to their location in the Financial District. The restaurant itself is nice, not big, but with a sense of space probably coming from the high ceiling that is garnished with some metal sheets that gives the place a sort of authentic feel.
Times Square is not the best area to get great food, lots of restaurants focusing more on foot traffic than anything else, not caring if people would have a good time and great food, so they would come back. But there are exceptions and Tony's di Napoli is one of them. We often go to this family style Italian restaurant when people visit: the food is good and prices are quite reasonable. The last time we went was with our friends, the Yates, who came visiting.
It's been a while since I wanted to go to Momofuku má pêche, one of the many restaurants of Chef David Chang, my favorite being Momofuku Noodle Bar. Yes, I wanted to go there to try their signature dish: the habanero fried chicken. It was not that hard to get a reservation on Opentable. In fact, I was surprised that the place would not be more crowded for a Friday night. When you enter into the building, the first think you will see is Momofuku Milk Bar where Pastry Chef and founder Christina Tosi offers a bunch of delicious treats.
I love Kati Rolls, a sort of wrap made with paratha bread, typical street food, that originated in Kolkata, India. So I was excited to go to Desi Grub, a place we found walking on 40th, on our way to Port Authority. It is a small place, with just few seats and an open kitchen from where they will cook your rolls to order.
I sometimes go to a place and wish they were in my neighborhood. This is what happened with Cannelle, a French bakery located in Long Island City, where we went for Jodi's Popup Show. We had to go early to setup her art at the Rockaway Brewery Co and and I proposed to go have breakfast at Cannelle.
This week, I was invited to a wonderful event at Sushi Seki Times Square, to celebrate the placement in Wine & Spirits Magazine - NYC 50 (where to eat and drink well in NYC right now). I have never been to that place, but, believe me: after what I have tried, I will surely go back, especially after trying some of the signature dishes of Chef Seki, that I wish I met that day.
Our friends Jen and Gary wanted to go to the Whitney Museum and then have lunch at Untitled, the restaurant located on the first floor of the museum (art without a title is named "untitled"). I admit that I was not sure what to expect there, thinking that the food would probably be overpriced and subpar. I was wrong! At Untitled, Executive Chef Suzanne Cupps crafted a small contemporary American menu perfectly executed and served in a modern dining room with lots of light thanks to the floor to ceiling windows. And if you are curious like me, you can even observe the ballet happening in the open kitchen.
