NYC FOODIE QUICK BITE: BOUKIES

When I found out the ill- fated restaurant Heartbreak had closed and was turned into the Greek joint Boukies, I was excited. Not because Heartbreak closed (I had never eaten there), but because the consulting chef Diane Kochilas was consulting on the menu. Chef Kochilas is also the consulting chef for another East Village Greek joint, Pylos, one of NYC's true Greek treasures. Pylos is great, and I recommend everyone dine there. And now I am happy to tell you, Boukies is great too, and everyone is going to love it! I had a meal there last week that was truly fabulous!

Classic Greek caviar dip with smoked trout ($8) is sensational and delicious. The accompanying pita bread is warm and fresh too.

Boukies' Saganaki ($10), a baked medley of Greek cheeses, served with roasted red pepper compote, is a cheese lovers dream come true. It's addictive and fantastic.

Northern Greek phyllo pies ($10) are fresh and wonderful. That mushroom flavor terrific.

The pulled Greek lamb sandwich ($12) is something that needs to be talked about. Why? Because it is unbelievable! Amazing. Awesome. Outstanding.

Pan-seared shrimp ($15), with roasted red pepper-almond sauce, is also absolutely delicious, tasty, and fabulous.

You must end your meal at Boukies with Diane's pineapple Revani ($6), served with grilled fresh pineapple, and vanilla-flavored Greek yogurt. It's light, perfect, and heavenly.

So stop by Boukies in the East Village and be whisked away to Greece. As their website states, "Boukies honors the breadth of traditional Greek meze cuisine by bringing fresh, small plates from all regions of Greece to an elegant, contemporary and comfortable setting in the heart of the East Village." I second that.

Boukies
29 E. 2nd St (and 2nd Ave)
New York, NY 10003
212-777-2502

www.boukiesrestaurant.com

NYC FOODIE QUICK BITE: SOTO

One of the best restaurants I've been to in NYC, is the West Village Japanese restaurant Soto. I went last month with some friends and had my mind blown. Every dish was pitch perfect and eloquent. Sublime. For all you sea urchin fans, they have a sea urchin martini at Soto that is out of this world! Order it. Every dish as Soto had my jaw dropping. I highly recommend this place. Check it out for yourself, you can thank me later. Culinary magic awaits.

Soto
357 6th Ave (bet. W. 4th St. and Washington Pl.)
New York, NY 10014
212-414-3088
www.sotonyc.com

NYC FOODIE QUICK BITE: MILE END SANDWICH

The great Montreal deli Mile End in Brooklyn has recently opened up an outpost in Manhattan called Mile End Sandwich, and we are lucky to have it!

I love the original Mile End, and was excited to hear they were opening up on this side. Two recent lunches had me completely satisfied.

Chicken salad ($10), with gribenes, new pickles, pickled peppers, on schmaltz toasted challah, is excellent. The addition of the gribenes (crisp chicken skin cracklings with fried onions) took this sandwich to another level. Awesomeness.

Another sandwich I tried called "Grandpa" ($12), smoked turkey, turkey rillettes, pickly, mustard, on rye, was also really good. Turkey perfection.

For sides, my potato salad ($3.50) and cucumber salad ($3.25), did me just fine. Also, their macaroon is amazing!

Mile End Sandwich
53 Bond St. (bet. Bowery and Lafayette)
New York, NY 10012
212-529-2990
www.mileendbrooklyn.com/sandwich.html

NYC FOODIE QUICK BITE: LA MONTANARA

I've been on diet as of late, and that is why last month I stopped by the opening of the new LES restaurant La Montanara, a restaurant that is dedicated to fried pizza. Fried pizza is a recent fad in the NYC dining scene, and it's quite tasty. All the pizza slices I tried at the opening were delicious. It reminded me of a zeppole. You can get other small bites here too, but def. try that fried pizza, it's quite the treat.

La Montanara
168 Ludlow St. (bet. Houston and Stanton)
New York, NY 10002
646-657-0730
www.lamontanarapizza.com

NYC FOODIE QUICK BITE: TAKASHI

Magical grilled meats await you in the West Village at Takashi. I was there back in March, and it blew my mind. Everything was amazing and awesome! The place is small, so you are guaranteed to wait, but it'll be worth it. Trust me.

Takashi
456 Hudson St. (bet. Morton and Barrow)
New York, NY 10011
212-414-2929
www.takashinyc.com

NYC FOODIE QUICK BITE: MISS LILY'S

Jerk chicken with a side of models. That's what I would title this one. Miss Lily's is one of the "hottest" restaurants in the scene today. "A Caribbean oasis in downtown Manhattan."

I stopped by a few weeks ago to see what all the hype was about. And yes, it is sceney, with very good looking people around. In fact, Jude Law was at a back table with a bevy of pretty young things the night I dined. Beyond the pretty people though, there is some terrific Jamaican cuisine being served up.

Cod fish fritters ($9), served with a curry dipping sauce were delightful

Jerk grilled corn ($5), with toasted coconut is awesome.

Lobster tacos had a great tangy flavor to them.

That staple jerk chicken ($19), slow cooked and grilled, and served with a marinated cucumber salad, was dandy. I mean, I've been to Jamaica, and the best jerk chicken I've had comes from those street grills in Montego Bay, but this did my body good on Houston St.

Curry goat ($23), pasture raised goat, Jamaican curry, and Irish potatoes, was a pleasure to consume. A fine dish with great flavor.

Miss Lily's is a fun joint, with fine Jamaican fare, and a true welcome addition to the downtown scene. As their website states, "In short, Miss Lily's is an island vacation in the middle of a busy city." My type of vacay.

Miss Lily's
132 W. Houston St. (and Sullivan St.)
New York, NY 10012
646-588-5375
www.misslilysnyc.com

NYC FOODIE QUICK BITE: BPG

I dine out every night. I rarely dine in the Upper East Side (eek!) or the Financial District. I love discovering gems though anywhere in New York City (or around the World), that many people do not know about. When a publicist friend invited me to BPG, a restaurant right across from the 9/11 Memorial, I did not know what to expect. What I got, was perfectly solid and great fare.

The cuisine at BPG is described as "global fusion", and I enjoyed every dish sent out.

Smoked scallop lobster bisque ($12), was perfect. Lumps of fresh and sweet lobster; delicious.

Crispy fish tacos ($12), with Napa cabbage slaw, was excellent. Perfectly tender fish, great flavor, great texture.

Fried calamari ($12), served with a tamarind sauce, were on the sweeter side.

Risotto balls were fabulous.

Churrasco filet mignon ($29), served with sauteed potatoes, mushrooms, and a chimichurri sauce, was a steak lovers dream.

Sauteed halibut ($29), with risotto of Spring vegetables and clam chowder sauce was wonderful.

New York City is truly Magical. There are hidden gems throughout, and you never know where or when you might happen upon one. 

BPG
120 Greenwich St. (and Albany St.)
New York, NY 10006
212-571-1700

www.bpgnyc.com

NYC FOODIE QUICK BITE: TALDE

Top Chef alum Dale Talde's restaurant Talde, in Park Slope, Brooklyn is serving some fabulous Asian-American fare. I stopped in recently and loved everything I had.

An appetizer of Pretzel Pork & Chive Dumplings with a spicy mustard ($8), could be the best potstickers I've had. Truly ingenious. I wish they would sell these babies in the frozen section of my local supermarket. Order them.

Saigon Crepes ($12), smoked shrimp, Chinese bacon, and mint, were delicious.

Crispy Oyster & Bacon Pad Thai ($16) is truly awesome! The crispy oysters and bacon take this pad thai to a whole other level. I loved it.

Black Pepper Short Ribs ($26), with pickled red onions and puffed rice, is succulent, tender, flavorul, and splendid!

End with Talde's version of the Filipino dessert Halo-halo, it is fun and fantastic! The addition of Captain Crunch will make you feel like a kid again.

Talde is another reason Brooklyn rocks!

Talde
369 7th Avenue
Park Slope, Brooklyn NY 11215
347-916-0031

www.taldebrooklyn.com

NYC FOODIE QUICK BITE: KORZO HAUS

Last month I stopped by what I would call a gem of a restaurant. A hidden treasure on East 7th Street in the East Village; Korzo Haus. Rarely in my life have I eaten Middle European cuisine, but that is what is being served here, or as their website spells and states it, "Mittle European Komfort Fare". 

We started with a tasty and flavorful spicy Hungarian goulash ($13), slow-cooked paprika beef brisket stew, onions, peppers, and served with crispy rustic spatzle. This dish had just the right kick to it too.

And then was there very popular Korzo Burger. This burger seems to be very popular among foodies in the know. It is a unique style of burger because it is wrapped in langos-Hungarian fried bread. We got the original ($13), a fresh ground beef patty, apple smoked bacon, allgauer emmentaller cheese, mustard, and dill pickle. It was juicy and fantastic. The fried bread, adding another layer of texture. It's a great burger. The hulusky fries (potato spatzle) were fantastic too.

So for a unique culinary adventure, take a trip to East 7th street, and be comforted by some Middle European fare.

Korzo Haus
178 E. 7th St. ( bet. A and B)
New York, NY 10009
212-780-0181

www.korzorestaurant.com

NYC FOODIE QUICK BITE: USHIWAKAMARU

As the world famous Foodie Magician, my signature trick is guessing people's favorite restaurants. Many times a restaurant will come up that I have heard a lot about, but have never been to. One such spot is the Japanese restaurant Ushiwakamaru. This spot on the West Village side of Houston St., has come up a plethora of times, and although it's quite long and a tough one to get, I have nailed it every time someone has thought about it. I recently had a meal there to see why many people thought of this place, and I could see why. Sublime and fabulous sushi is what this spot is all about.

So stop by Ushiwakamaru soon, and maybe you too will think of this spot in your mind.

Ushiwakamaru
136 W. Houston St. (bet. MacDougal and Sullivan)
New York, NY 10012

212-228-4181