NYC: Sundaes and Cones

Sundaes and Cones, what a great little homemade ice cream shop on a beautiful tree lined street in the East Village.  It's also right around the corner from Ippudo, so it's perfect for getting dessert right after dinner.  I got a scoop of Taro Root.  They do have other standard flavors too, but their unique flavors, such as Lychee, sesame, wasabi, etc add a bit of twist to this place.

I love this little secret ice cream shop. There aren't a lot of seats inside, but there's a couple benches outside where you can sit if it's a nice day. I can't wait to go back here again!

They also take custom cake orders as well.

Sundaes and Cones (map)
95 East 10th Street (bet. 3rd and 4th Ave)
New York, NY 10003

NYC: Frankies 457 (Brooklyn)

I came here this past weekend to meet a friend for dinner.  Scott lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn so we decided to go to Frankies 457.  They have another location in Manhattan but any excuse to come to my former borough makes me happy.  Coming down to Brooklyn really made me miss my old neighborhood (Brooklyn Heights).  On our way to dinner we picked up some bagels at Montague Bagels (aka, "Hot Bagels"), the very best bagels in world...yes, the best in the WORLD!

We decided to go out for Italian since Ethan and I are planning a trip to Italy in June.  Scott's been to Italy several times, and we thought coming to Frankies would get us in the mood and he can share some of his secret places we have to check out.  I've actually been wanting to come here to Frankies for some time now, but never quite made until now.  The restaurant is in a beautiful, intimate space that really makes you want to kick back and enjoy dinner and conversation with great friends.  It does get pretty crowded but we never felt rushed.  We ended up sitting at the bar, which was perfectly comfortable for the three of us.

We started off with three orders of the Crostini: Lardo, Guanciale, and mushroom:

Antipasti

It took me a little while to figure out what I wanted.  The menu isn't very big at all, which is always a good sign.  You hope that with such a small menu, whatever you end up ordering it's going to be good.  Scott ordered the Gnocchi, I ordered the meatballs and Ethan ordered the Cavatelli.  The winner of the night was hands down the Cavatelli.  The pasta looked like little worms, but oh my gosh, they tasted so good.  The gnocchi was good, but it didn't really stand out in flavor.  My meatballs were a bit disappointing.  They weren't bad, but I was hoping for more flavor especially since it included pine nuts and raisins.  There weren't many raisins (very tiny little bit)...plus, I should've known better.  Ethan makes a amazing meatballs with pine nuts and currants - his are definitely better.

House-made Gnocchi Marinara and Fresh Ricotta

Meatballs with pine nuts and raisins

House-made Cavatelli with Faiccos Hot Sausage & Browned Sage Butter

For dessert, Scott and Ethan both ordered the Ricotta Cheese Cake and I ordered the Tiramisu.  The cheese cake was a bit dry and cake-y but the Tiramisu was delicious!  The next time I come back, I know what I would order.  Maybe next time I'll have to come for brunch.


Frankies 457 (map)
457 Court Street (bet. Luquer & 4th Place)
Brooklyn, NY 11231

NYC: Cachapas Y Mas - Venezuelan Sandwiches

Since I moved to Inwood last July, I really haven't explored many of the restaurants in the neighborhood.  It was Friday and I was craving something local, so Ethan suggested Cachapas Y Mas - our first time here.

We both ordered the patacones, which is fried green plantain smashed into a tortilla shape and used as the bread.  Ethan ordered the Chicharron (fried pork) and I ordered the Pernil (roasted pork).  Both were good...I wouldn't say great, but I really have to give this place one more chance.  Maybe next time I'll have to try the Cachapas (baby corn cakes), or the Arepas.

The space is really small, only two booths and four stools facing the front window.  There was a constant flow of people coming in and out, most people were taking their food to go.  I really had high hopes for falling in love this this fried plantain sandwich - everything about this included something I would love.  The only problem was that it really did feel quite heavy and greasy - not that that's bad, but as much sauce I would put on it, it just tasted kind of bland.  I will definitely be coming back to check out more items on their menu.

Patacones Chicharron (fried pork)

Patacones (fried green plantain)

Cachapas Y Mas (map)

107 Dyckman Street (bet. Nagle & Post Ave)

New York, NY 10040

NYC: Barney Greengrass

After my last post on Zingerman's Deli in Ann Arbor, I thought it would be only fitting to do a post on Barney Greengrass - The Sturgeon King, my favorite New York City deli. My husband Ethan and I have been going here for a while now and we always take our out-of-town guests here. Of course there's 2nd Avenue Deli, Katz's Deli, Carnegie Deli, etc...the list goes on.

A few things to know when you come here to eat. Be prepared to order quickly. Save the conversation until after you've given your order. My favorite is the hot pastrami with coleslaw on rye. Unlike other deli's oversized sandwiches, Barney Greengrass sandwiches are reasonably sized for an average American (wink to Lexanonymous). If you come on a weekend, you definitely have to order the latkes since it's only available on the weekends. The Latkes come with sour cream and apple sauce - a true taste of heaven. Ethan often orders one of the triple decker sandwiches. On this day, he ordered the pastrami and tongue with coleslaw on rye. The sturgeon is also great, a bit expensive, but something really good to try while you're here...I mean, he is the "King". On this visit, Cecilia (Ethan's sister) ordered the cheese blintze with jam. I had a little taste and it was great.

Latkes with a dolup of applesauce and sour cream

Hot Pastrami with Coleslaw

Triple Decker: Pastrami and Tongue with Coleslaw

Cheese Blintz with Jam

Pick up a black and white cookie before you leave!  It's not the oversized ones you usually see, but a great little sweetness to linger in you mouth as you walk out the door.  

Barney Greengrass (map)

541 Amsterdam Ave (bet. 86th & 87th)

New York, NY 10024

Zingerman's Delicatessen - Ann Arbor

On my recent trip back home to Ann Arbor, Michigan I ate lunch at Zingerman's Deli.  I love this place!  Is it strange that the first thing I want to do in Ann Arbor is go to Zingerman's - a New York style deli?  I went here with my husband Ethan and brother Jason.  I never know what to order when I see the list of all the sandwiches on the board, so I did something completely out of character for me...I agreed to split a sandwich with Jason.  When Jason was halfway through the second half sandwich I realized that he wasn't going to share.  That's okay, I didn't want to share, either!

So, would I say it's pretty close to a NYC style deli?  In some ways yes, and in many ways, no.  The sandwiches are made with great quality ingredients, and in some people's eyes, they're oversized.  The difference I think is that Zingerman's is just too pretty.  You would never walk into a NYC deli that looks like this.  The staff are all ridiculously friendly and they never rush you - this isn't a bad thing, it just doesn't happen the City.  And the differences are the big reasons why I love Zingerman's ; )

Between three of us, we ordered the following:

#2 Zingerman's Reuben
Zingerman's corned beef, Switzerland Swiss cheese, sauerkraut & Russian dressing on grilled, hand-sliced Jewish rye bread.

What Jason says, "I remember this sandwich being so much better...like "this is the best sandwich ever" good.  Don't get me wrong, I loved every bite of the delicious grill Zingerman's rye bread and tender corned beef (which I didn't share with anyone), but I don't know about $15 and long lines (luckily the lines weren't too bad that Saturday).  And I almost ate another one before I left, but it wasn't good enough to spend $30 on 2 sandwiches in one weekend..."

#13 Sherman's Sure Choice
Zingerman's corned beef, Switzerland Swiss cheese, coleslaw & Russian dressing on Jewish rye bread.

Ethan's not always a fan of grilled (melted cheese) sandwiches.  He thought the bread was really good and was excited to eat the Reuben that wasn't grilled.  He loved the pickle too!

#85 J.V.W's Detroit St. BBQ 
Zingerman's BBQ Amish chicken, Nueske's applewood-smoked bacon & coleslaw on grilled sourdough bread.  Served with a side of applewood-smoked baked beans.

I loved my sandwich! The BBQ chicken was amazing with the coleslaw and bacon...my mouth is watering all over again just thinking about it.  I have to agree with Jason on the price, $15 for a sandwich is a bit much, but without thinking about the price, the sandwich was still great!

Here are some additional random photos:

Zingerman's Deli 
422 Detroit St. (map)
Ann Arbor, MI 48104

NYC: Bar Breton

It was a Thursday night when we went to Bar Breton.  The chef, Cyril Renaud, previously opened a restaurant called Fleur de Sel which received a star from Michelin three years in a row.  When he closed Fleur de Sel in 2008/2009, he opened up Bar Breton, a brasserie style restaurant.  With such a stellar resume and reviews, why was I so disappointed?  Maybe the word disappointed is a bit too strong.  I had pretty high hopes, and it's not that the food was bad, it just wasn't amazing.

I ordered the Cauliflower Gratin to start - good, but nothing really special.  In fact, it didn't have much flavor.  For my entree, I had my eye on the Salmon with Lentils, but once I heard the special, I ordered the Black Sea Bass.

Ethan ordered the House Smoked Salmon with horseradish creme, shallots, chives, and radish.  It was quite good and the flavors really complimented each other.  The only downside was the portion--more along the lines of an appetizer rather than an entree...I noticed Ethan eating slower than he normally does just to keep pace with the rest of us.

For dessert, we shared the Nutella Galette.  It was good, but the Chocolate Mousse ordered by our friends is better if you are in the mood for something more rich and chocolaty.  Since I didn't order a savory galette (they're known for their galettes), I thought we should get one for dessert.

Nutella Galette

One thing I was quite impressed with was the selection of gluten free dishes which was a majority of the items on the menu.  I think I would like to try the brunch menu sometime.

Bar Breton
254 5th Avenue (map)
New York, NY 10001-6406
(212) 213-4999