It’s been probably 11 years since we last went to Empanada Mama in Hell’s Kitchen and I did not recognize the place at all. At the time, it was a tiny spot (I believe the photo from their site below is how it was before), really crowded. Now, it is a fairly large restaurant serving more than just empanadas, but with still these delicious turnovers as the stars of the menu, with various options for the dough (wheat or corn), including one called “viagra”, that is not what you are thinking: it is apparently made of seafood (not sure the waiter gave me the right explanation...), and for the healthy conscious, there are some oven baked.
Haru Sushi in Times Square
I love fusion food and I am always curious to see what restaurants offer in that area that makes them original. One of the great places for Japanese fusion is Haru Sushi, that I discovered many years ago, for a first exposure to this kind of cuisine. We went at their restaurant in Times Square before going to see Star Wars: The Last Jedi. It was our first visit in that location and I was not sure what to expect, restaurants in that area sometimes focusing more on foot traffic than returning customers. Well, the service there was courteous and the food simply delicious.
L'Angolo in TriBeCa
Lincoln Square Steakhouse on the Upper West Side
My brother and nephew Valentin invited us to Lincoln Square Steakhouse, a restaurant I never heard about before, admitting that I rarely hear about steakhouses on the Upper West Side. Well, that was a surprising experience. On the facade, I noticed two things: "Family style" and "Italian steakhouse". In fact, the only things that combined both on their menu was their Italian family style section that serves two, proposing dishes like eggplant parmesan, lasagna, or rigatoni a la Bolognese, as well as their dessert sampler that had cannoli and tiramisu.
Recipe: banana soufflé
When I was a kid, the only soufflé I knew was the cheese soufflé that my Mom was making. We never heard about sweet soufflés and it is only much later in my life that variations on soufflés started to appear, like the cauliflower soufflé we made one time with my sister. Then I discovered chocolate soufflés, and one time, banana soufflés. The latter is fantastic; well, if you like bananas! So, the recipe below is my take on a recipe I learned at the Institute of Culinary Education few years ago.
Revisit: Hudson Hall in Jersey City
Few months ago, I got invited to Hudson Hall, the only beer hall and smokehouse in Jersey City, conveniently located few blocks from the Grove Street path station. I love the feel of that place: casual and warm, it is quite spacious. We were there at 6pm on Friday last week and were surprised to see so many families with young kids having dinner, in a relaxed atmosphere with music in the background, not too loud, maybe on purpose, but definitely allowing diners to hear each other.
Dinner at Chimichurri Grill East
You probably think this post is déjà vu as I already described twice my experience at Chimichurri Grill, once in their Midtown East location where I was invited for a blog dinner, another one when I went to their restaurant in Hell's Kitchen with some friends. I have been talking so much about this Argentinian Steakhouse that Jodi absolutely wanted to go there; so I booked a table on Opentable for a Friday night and here we were, at Chimichurri Grill East, in their beautiful dining room.
Kame Ramen, Midtown East
Alpha Fusion, Pan Asian Cuisine near Penn Station
I passed so many times in front of Alpha Fusion, mistakenly not noticing a place that serves some fantastic pan Asian cuisine: Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese mainly and more intriguing, a wide choice of vegetarian dishes. There, I spoke a bit with Chef Henry Yang who I met few months ago in Brooklyn. Owner of Alpha Fusion, that he opened 10 years ago, Chef Yang is passionate about his food: we talked about his upbringing when he came at age 16 in the US from China, and how he learned to make Japanese cuisine.
Ajisai, Japanese restaurant in Hell's Kitchen
On a Saturday, after seeing The Darkest Hour with Gary Oldman in Times Square, we decided to eat in Hell's Kitchen with in mind an Asian cuisine. We stumbled upon Ajisai, a place we passed in front of many times, but that seemed to be always packed. We got lucky this time as only one booth was available for the three of us, my nephew being with us.
Hao Noodle and Tea by Madam Zhu's Kitchen in NYC, NY
We were looking for a place to go to have dinner with Jodi's cousin Rebecca, when we stumbled upon Hao Noodle & Tea by Madam Zhu's Kitchen. I had that place on my list, so I was glad to find it. Unfortunately, it was full and the only seats possible were at one of their large tables, in the middle of the amazing dining room that was dominated by interesting chandeliers. Yes, this place was packed and, after trying the food, I understood why.
Indikitch, the Chipotle of Indian cuisine?
I was really looking forward to try Indikitch, a fast casual chain serving Indian food that has been popping up across the city. So, on a Wednesday evening, we went there with Jodi and my nephew Valentin, in their Flatiron location. The place was not that crowded, quite spacious, with seats on the second floor. You could tell that lots of people went there before by just looking at the garbage cans that were overflowing, preventing people from throwing their trash and leaving it on tables. Or maybe the staff was too busy...
Lattanzi, Italian restaurant in the Theater District
We were looking for an Italian place on a Saturday evening when we stumbled upon Lattanzi, an Italian restaurant located in the Theater District, right next to Becco, the popular place opened by Lidia and Joe Bastianich. I admit that I was not sure what to expect, some of the places near Times Square being total let downs, and was really surprised about the quality of the food and the nice experience we had.
Greek Brunch at MP Taverna in Astoria
We were walking on Ditmars Boulevard in Astoria, when we noticed MP Taverna, a fairly big place serving Greek cuisine. Little we knew that this is one of the many restaurants of Chef Michael Psilakis and that we would have a great brunch there. The restaurant, with its rustic decor dominated by large windows, was not that crowded, allowing us to enjoy a quiet meal.
Chimichurri Grill West in Hell's Kitchen
I was having dinner with friends this week and they asked me if I knew of a place to go. Without hesitation, I chose Chimichurri Grill West in Hell's Kitchen, considering the fantastic feast, prepared by Chef Carlos Darquea, I had the week before at Chimichurri Grill East where I was invited for a blogger/influencer dinner. So yes, my expectations were high and I was not disappointed.
Lunch at Ladurée in Soho
Lots of people are surprised to hear that you can get lunch and dinner at Ladurée, this place being known around the world for its macarons, that I admit are addictive. I was one of them. Well, until a friend of mine went there and told me about his meal, proposing to arrange a reservation as a knows the manager. So, we ended up at their location in Soho last Saturday. We entered in the restaurant and it was like stepping in a French salon de thé.
Dinner at Paname, a French restaurant, in Turtle Bay
LIC Market, seasonal restaurant in Long Island City
We recently went to LIC Market, a seasonal restaurant located in Long Island City. It was right after the first day of open studio event in Jodi's building where she showed some amazing work. I really like this place, not only because of the delicious food, but also because it has this neighborhood feel: yes, the kind of place you would want near you. With its rustic decor and a covered patio in the back, LIC Market prints its menu on a daily basis, offering a large number of dishes that are perfect for sharing.
Tierras Colombianas in Astoria, Queens
We were recently in Astoria, where Jodi lived when we met, and ended up at Tierras Colombianas, literally "Colombian soil", one of the many Colombian places in the area.
It is quite a big place that has a big menu and we decided to share a bunch of sides, all very comforting and good. Here is what we had:
Chimichurri Grill East, Argentinian Steakhouse
This week I was invited to Chimichurri Grill East, the outpost of Chimichurri Grill West, located in Hell's Kitchen, opened more than 18 years ago by Chef Carlos Darquea and his wife Alicia Rodriguez, who is the General Manager and Wine Director. There, I had a great time with my fellow bloggers / influencers, tasting an amazing menu that I did not expect and enjoying the company of Chef Carlos who spoke about each dish and wine (yes, each dish was paired with a wine chosen by Alicia and it was not small glasses...).