Eat. Drink. Live.
One of the best-pre theater spots around can be found on 50th Street: Toloache. Hamachi with fried avocado: Tortilla soup. (Excellent!) Tacos. Pork belly, I believe. The 411 on Toloache. Related posts: Excellent Pre-Theater Dining at Toloache in Midtown Pre-Theater […]
Happy Birthday to me: A Big Day of Fun in Manhattan. First up, lunch at Flora Bar at the Met Brueur. Walking in the rain. Dorky Sam. Shirley Temple. Bloody Mary. Uni with red shrimp and nori. YUM. A waffle […]
It’s nice enough to be on a patio! After-work drinks and snacks at Hearth & Tap. Chicken liver mousse: Fried Brussels sprouts. The 411 on Hearth & Tap. Related posts: Communal Kitchen in Nyack Cooking for Thanskgiving Brussels Sprouts Salad […]
A lunch meeting at Forno’s, the famous Spanish restaurant in Newark. A lot of good ideas hatched over a good meal. Here, my Txangurro, with chopped scallops, shrimp and crab in a scallop shell. Salmon! Paella. The room: We’ll be […]
We celebrated the May birthdays with drinks on the terrace at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. What a treat! The beautiful old Hay Loft. Philippe shows us the manure shed. The elaborate and wonderful grill, where, besides cooking and smoking, […]
Further exploring the dining scene in Asbury Park, we dine at Taka, the Japanese restuarant right downtown. It’s a sleek room, and the food was beautifully presented and delicious. A martini to start. Lovely salmon. Poke bowl. The best part […]
I’d heard so much about Mogo Tacos, it was my first stop upon arriving in Asbury Park for the Asbury Park Music and Film Festival. Food was good — but what I liked more than the tacos were the wings! […]
A lovely lunch at Hudson Farmer & The Fish. My third time here and I’ve been very pleased with each meal. Oysters. Crabcake: Lobster roll. Related posts: Hudson Farmer & The Fish in Sleepy Hollow Fishkill Farms at the Tarrytown-Sleepy […]
A lovely evening withe friends, first on the porch and then at Roost in Sparkill. Kevin and Keila: Gin and tonic! Sam’s stuffed animals are having a tea party. Out at Roost, an Old Cuban: Oysters to start. Cauliflower with […]
The first day nice enough for outdoor dining, so we head to the Hudson River. Pier 115 in Edgewater isn’t going to win any awards for its food, but, wow that view! Here’s the sort of sad caprese. And the […]
Le Bon Choix in Ridgewood is known for its juicy rotisserie chicken — and this fabulous sandwich. The cote du Rhone, which has rotisserie chicken, espresso barbecue sauce, cole slaw and — here’s the surprising and fun part: gruyere. It […]
Spoon and Stable in the Warehouse District has everything going for it: a beautiful soaring space in an old industrial building, a great cocktail program, a world-class chef and absolutely delicious food. Plus, we were able to enjoy all that […]
Breakfast at an old-school cafe in Mankato. 45s on the wall, pleather booths: Appliances from the ’50s: Omelet, sausage and a little biscuit gravy on the side. Delishy. The 411 on the Wagon Wheel Cafe. Related posts: A Recap of […]
I’d been hearing good things about Hank’s for years — dating back to my days of covering the restaurant scene in the Northeast for Arrive magazine. Finally got a chance to check it out. Kelli and I started with cocktails, […]
A quick bite and pick-me-up at a Cafe Deluxe, around the corner from the Cathedral. Adorable, deco-style bar: Samantha had a pizza off the kid’s menu, but alas, it was not photographed. A good stop to rest after a long […]
A nice night out with Kelli at her local oyster bar. The food was pretty good — though we had some confusing interactions with the bartender! Martini. Cute space. Oysters! Salmon over chopped salad. Kelli got a crabcake sandwich. The […]
Just because you’re traveling with a kid doesn’t mean you can’t try a sophisticated restaurants. Oyamel, one of the famous chef Jose Andres’ restaurants, certainly fits the bill. The staff is easy-going and friendly, the restaurant is lively, and the […]
What a great meal! Diane chose Maydan, a Middle Eastern restaurant with an open hearth in the center, and it was a big hit. Bold flavors, grilled meats, spices, sweets and delicious cocktails, too. The bar, downstairs by the hearth: […]
We were going to cook. But then we got the news — Doris was in the hospital. We fretted about going to Minnesota, or at least sending Greg. We didn’t know what was going to happen. So instead of being […]
Before a hockey game at the Prudential Center, we head to Marcus B&P (again) for supper. Everything was just as good as the first trip. House Made Charcuterie with Tete de Cochon, Chicken Liver Mousse, Duck Prosciutto, Gravlax. All was gorgeous. […]
A fun meal with friends at Communal Kitchen in Nyack. We ordered a bunch of things to share. Here are some standouts. Pork belly with kim chi. Their take on David Chang’s Brussel sprouts: I see Traci through my wine! […]
Marcus Samuelsson, the celebrity chef who was once behind Aquavit and now owns Red Rooster in Harlem, among other restaurants, has opened Marcus B&P in Newark. The restaurant is meant to riff off the Swedish concept of BP, or “back […]
A great go-to on the east side of the theater district: Saju. French classics, done well, in a pleasing setting that’s just crowded enough to be fun, but not so crowded you can’t get a seat. Endive salad: Frisee aux […]
Drinks and delicious food with old friends at Cannibal in Manhattan. Cocktails! Pate with pickled mustard seeds! Crispy Pig’s Ear Salad with chicory, pickled shallots, herbs, soft egg, dijon vinaigrette: Fantastic! Boo and Eric: Maris, Kelli and me: Two dishes […]
Dinner with my new colleague, Bill, at a lovely little spot in downtown Asbury Park. A sazerac for me. Red oak lettuce salad. Mussels, for Bill. A pork chop for me. Cute dining room. Nice bar, too. Good food, nice […]
Drinks with friends. We order the meat platter, which we notice doesn’t have very much meat. Nice pour, though. Pen for reference. The 411 on Twisted Elm. Related posts: Supper at Twisted Oak in Tarrytown River View East in Elmwood […]
It had been more than a year and a half since I was invited to a fantastic dinner — a tasting menu that introduced chef Eric Gao and the Chinese cuisine he would be preparing at O Mandarin in Hartsdale. […]
What a classic place. Melon’s, as everyone calls it, has been around since the 70s, and is known for one thing: the hamburger. It’s a great old bar, with green striped tablecloths and photos, paintings, signs and sculptures of melons […]
Do I have you at Cap’n Crunch Chicken Burger? It was the star of the show at Instayum, a popup food-meets-Instagram event at the Garden State Plaza. The burger is fried chicken submerged in Sriracha-honey glaze and served with lettuce, […]
A new favorite salad at The Barrow House in Clifton. Kale with farmers cheese and grapefruit (which I don’t eat), add on chicken. Delicious! The 411 on Barrow House. Related posts: Barrow House in Clifton Mighty Quinn’s in Clifton Sharkey’s […]
My husband, Greg, and I are co-founders of SCF, which chronicles what we eat, drink and grow as we raise our daughter on a tiny plot of land in the Lower Hudson Valley.
