We were looking for a place to eat before going to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway when we decided to try Revel and Rye in the Marriot Hotel in Times Square. I only went to their lounge for a drink few weeks before and thought that it would be a good idea to try the restaurant, Revel and Rye.

I passed in front of Fine and Rare so many times that I really wanted to try this place. Little I knew that it is the sister restaurant of The Flatiron Room, my favorite destination for whisky, this place having more than a 1000 bottles. Both have a feel of old New York, with live jazz and bear the same initials and, although it does not have the same extensive whisky list as its sister restaurant, Fine and Rare has quite a large selection and allows some cocktails, like the espresso martini to be made with Old Grand-Dad Bourbon with bourbon aged coffee.

Located in the East Village, the Pineapple Club is a speakeasy that is a perfect spot for brunch (I would think that dinner is great but the noise level is probably not for me). Great service, great atmosphere and great food and cocktails are what is probably characterizing this place that is quite spacious.

For cocktails, being for brunch, it was good to marry an espresso and some vodka for an espresso martini that was…

Madame Claude is gone, long live Madame! Not a bad change of name in a way, considering that Madame Claude was the name of a famous Madame who, when arrested threatened to reveal who her influential clients were. So, we were curious to check out this French restaurant that, although a bit off the beaten path, is quite popular in Jersey City. Located in a basement, this is like a hidden gem, with a more modern decor than before, but with still some charm to it. The bar, called Panache (meaning done with flair) has…

It has been a while since I wanted to try Carbone, the Italian restaurant of Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi and Jeff Zalaznick. This popular place, that lost its Michelin star in 2022, is like stepping in an episode of The Godfather, from the decor in the back room to the Italian music playing in the background.

After going to the Monmouth Museum to see one of Jodi’s paintings that made it into an exhibition there, we ended up for a family dinner at The Pour House in Red Bank, NJ. A big restaurant, really crowded, with a mix of diners and patrons sitting at the bar, this place seemed to be like a neighborhood favorite where you hang out on a Saturday evening. Luckily, as we were a big table, we ended up in a “private” room, that only had one long table, more spacious and less noisy for sure.

If you follow me on Instagram, you probably know that I am a huge fan of Chocopain, a French Bakery that has few locations in Hoboken and Jersey City. So, when I heard that they were opening a new place in Jersey City, I had to check it out. So, I walked approximately 10 minutes from the Journal Square Path station, and found Chocopain on the ground floor of a Luxury Building, Le Leo, recently erected.

On a Friday evening, we decided to have dinner at Strip House Midtown, few steps from Grand Central. We had a reservation and were bit early; we had to wait until our table was ready, but observed several couples coming without any reservation being seated before us. The person at the desk explained that she was waiting for a good table for us: ok, I would give her that, our table being quite comfortable, on one of the corners upstairs, overlooking the restaurant.

We finally made it to Olivia’s in Hoboken. We wanted to go before, but reviews were not that great, people complaining about the cleanliness of the place. But we decided to give it a chance. We went on a Saturday evening, the place being packed, dark and with loud music that is definitely not something I like…

We discovered The Parisian Tea Room last year, as we were driving through New York to go to JFK Airport. I was really surprised to see this place in an area a bit off the beaten path, with not too much foot traffic, but surrounded by hotels and near Times Square. I am more a coffee drinker, but I do appreciate a good tea sometimes, herbal mainly with mint being my favorite, and we have tried quite a few places in New York; so, why not try this place? We went on an off day as I was off, picking a 11:15am spot rather than after 1pm.

When The Lola cocktail Lab and Eatery opened in Hoboken, I was curious to try it, wondering if the notion of cocktail lab would take precedent over the eatery concept. The place is big, with two main areas: the main dining room that surrounds the large bar, and a second dining room, more cozy and slightly quieter.

Earlier this year, we went to Ju Lan Club, a restaurant located where the Limelight used to be that serves upscale Chinese cuisine in an incredible setting. This place is huge and we only saw the main dining room that was beautiful, especially the murals on the walls that added to the aesthetic of the place.

The menu there is quite overwhelming, with specialty dishes marked with a crown. But there are so many that ordering each of them would be a gargantuan meal. They have classic Chinese dishes like…

The heart of Times Square have seen quite a lot of Asian restaurants opening and the last one I tried is Awe Sum Dimsum (pronounce “awesome” dimsum). This casual place is very similar to Dim Sum Sam that I tried few months ago: you order at the counter or on their POS, from a quite large menu and they will tell you when your meal is ready thanks to a buzzer that will be handed over to you after you pay. The Menu has quite a lot of items, but I admit that I was a bit disappointed not to see anything with duck, especially some Peking Duck bao maybe? So I ended up ordering har gow or shrimp dumplings that were perfectly made and delicious, fried eggplant shrimp that were just ok, slightly bland, and…

If you like Italian cuisine, Rossini’s is a great spot to know. Located closed to Grand Central, this Italian restaurant has an old school authentic feel, from the decor (it is fairly big: I counted three different rooms) to the attire of the waiters that is pretty formal.

Food wise, they have classics like the calamari fritti or melanzane imbotite (eggplant slices stuffed with ricotta and mozzarella) that they split into two portions as we were sharing.

We were looking for a New Orleans inspired restaurant in New York, when we stumbled upon 1803. Taking its name from the year the United States purchased Louisiana from France, Napoleon needing money to fund the war with the British, this restaurant serving creole cuisine, opened in October 2022. Spacious, with its French quarter feel and large bar, it has two floors, the second floor being where bands will play live music.

We have been waiting for so long for Kura Sushi to open in Newport, right where the mall sits. You may wonder why and the answer is simple: Kura Sushi is not your classic Japanese restaurant. It is a conveyor belt sushi bar! If you never tried this before, it is fun to do: the kitchen will prepare a series of dishes that will move around the dining room on a conveyor belt. Each dish, preceded by a sign telling you what it is, costs $3.70 (if I correctly remember) and they calculate the bill simply based on the number…

BBQ is one of my favorite meals and it is an artistry that I did not imagine was so involved until I saw The American Barbecue Showdown on Netflix. From the type of meat, the rub, the type of wood to use and the temperature, this is more than just meat on a plate for sure. One of the places I love in Hoboken for BBQ is House of Que.

We walked passed Marty’s in Jersey City quite a few times. Located in an old firehouse, this place serves some quite amazing burgers and shakes. I love the fact that they have a POS (Point Of Sale) when you enter, so it gives you more time to look at their menu and customize what you want, rather than being at the counter and feeling the pressure to order quickly because there are people behind you, probably with the same feeling, waiting.

It is no secret that I love Indian food and we sometimes venture to Newark Avenue in Jersey City for lunch or dinner, in some of the amazing Indian restaurants that are there. One of them is Masala Cafe. This place has an extensive menu with a wide range of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. We went there one Saturday evening for dinner and tried the following:

For appetizer, we had samosa that were crispy and…