TABLE FOR ONE: MOTORINO (EAST VILLAGE)

Sunday night I stopped by Motorino, Chef Mathieu Palombino's East Village outpost of his Brooklyn Neapolitan pizza joint. People have been raving about the pizzas at Motorino, declaring it some of the best in town. After I consumed my entire pie, I would agree; Motorino has great pizza.

I started with an appetizer of succulent and tasty fire roasted mortadella ($7), with a side of mustard.

I then had the Soppressata Piccante ($16) pizza, which came with mozzarella, spicy soppressata, garlic, and oregano. The entire pie was perfect. From a nice sweet and fresh tomato sauce, to wonderful light and crispy crust, it was a terrific pizza pie!

So for some of the best pizza in NYC (and Brooklyn), Motorino hits the spot.

Motorino
349 East 12th Street (bet. 2nd and 1st Ave)
New York, NY 10003
212-777-2644

www.motorinopizza.com

TABLE FOR ONE: MINETTA TAVERN

Tonight I grabbed a bite at Minetta Tavern, Keith McNally's hot spot in the West Village. I have been reading a lot about their $26 Black Label burger, which has been getting rave reviews. Two months ago I tried their cheddar cheese burger ($16), and decided tonight was time to check out what ten more dollars buys me.

The burger was really good. The meat is a selection of prime dry-aged beef cuts, and probably the richest- in taste and price- burger I have ever had. It was topped with carmelized onions, and came with a side of bland fries that needed seasoning.

Minetta Tavern is definitely a cool restaurant. It's bustling and hip, and what I'd call "cozy chic". Would I go back for that burger? The richness does linger in my mind, but I can't say I would crave it, especially at $26. It is not a good bang for your buck. I would love to go back and try everything else on the menu, sit back with a glass of wine, and enjoy the scene.

Minetta Tavern
113 Macdougal Street (bet. Bleeker and West 3rd)
New York, NY 10012
212-475-3859

www.minettatavernny.com

TABLE FOR ONE: EAST SIDE SOCIAL CLUB

Sunday night I checked out East Side Social Club, a new Italian restaurant from the team behind Employees Only and Macao Trading Co., two fun restaurants I love for good food and great drinks.

It was 11pm on Sunday, so the place was close to empty, and I took a seat at the bar. The space is cool, with all tables covered with red and white checkered tablecloths, and candles on every table. It was "Little Italy Chic" in Midtown. 

I knew I wanted to order the linguine with clam sauce, but the bartender highly recommended the spaghetti. Lucky for me, they serve half portions here, so I ordered both! I also got an appetizer of buffalo ricotta. 

All the food was outstanding. A basket of rosemary flatbread was given to me to snack on while I waited for my food, and it was great! The buffalo ricotta ($10) with herb, chili, and served with sourdough bread was delicious and addictive.

The linguine ($19 full portion) came with Manila clams and Calabrian chilies. It was truly wonderful, and I loved the kick given to the dish from the chilies.

The spaghetti ($17 full portion) came with San Marzano tomatoes and herbs, was light, simple, extremely fresh, and delightful.

The East Side Social Club exudes coolness. With Macao in Tribeca, Employees Only in the West Village, and now East Side in Midtown, a true empire in NYC is forming. With great drinks (both wine and cocktails), and great food, and a whole lot of cool, East Social Club fills a void in Midtown. There is no place like it around.

East Side Social Club
230 E. 51st Street (bet. 3rd and 2nd ave)
New York, NY 10022
212-355-9442

www.esscnyc.com

TABLE FOR ONE: MAIALINO

Last night I grabbed a bite at Maialino, Danny Meyer's new Italian restaurant in the Gramercy Park Hotel. The restaurant used to be the critically panned Chinese restaurant Wakiya.

I had been to Wakiya, and the place looks dramatically different. It's a beautiful space designed by the Rockwell Group. It is basically two restaurants in one; a wine bar up front, and a Roman-style trattoria in back. The two are separated in the middle by Maialino's cucina, featuring a salumi, cheese and antipasto station on one side; with a coffee, dessert and bread station on the other.

I took a seat the the wine bar up front, and was given their bar menu. I was told I could not order from the trattoria menu, and was at first upset about that, but after perusing the list of small Italian bites, and then consuming two dishes, I was in fact, extremely happy! The food here is great!

I was given a nice bread basket with some great flatbreads and olive rolls (courtesy of Sullivan Street Bakery), to dip into some olive oil to start.

I ordered the Fritto Misto al Stecchino ($7) and the Malfatti al Maialino ($17).

The fritto misto was skwered swordfish and scallops, very lightly battered, and amazing! Each bite was truly orgasmic!

The malfatti came with suckling pig ragu and arugula and was outstanding! The dish was deliciously flavorful! The pasta was perfectly cooked, and the suckling pig tender and juicy. I was in heaven.

I was so happy with my experience here that I made reservations to come back in one week. Maialino is the perfect place to come for a glass or two of wine (or a bottle; hey, why not?) and some fantastic Italian small bites. I predict I will become a regular here. A regular in culinary bliss ain't a bad thing.

Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue (in the Gramercy Park Hotel)
New York, NY 10010
212-777-2410

www.maialinonyc.com

TABLE FOR ONE: THE BRESLIN

Last night I had dinner at The Breslin, the new restaurant in the Ace Hotel, that comes to us from the team behind The Spotted Pig: Ken Friedman and Chef April Bloomfield. 

The Spotted Pig is a great "gastropub" in NYC, where I go to grab a drink and a bite often, including April's famous burger with Roquefort cheese and shoestring fries. I had heard they were serving up a great lamb burger at The Breslin, and I knew I had to try it. 

The space is cool and hip, with much more room than the "Pig." There is a nice bar up front, with seats along the windows, as well as two small islands that seat around six to eight people each. The dining room is a nice space with an open kitchen in the back. I heard they are opening up a second floor in the weeks to come, as well.

I took my seat at one of the islands and started with a bar snack of pork scratchings ($5). They came in a plastic bag with the date they were made (the same date I was there); cute and tasty-- the perfect bar snack.

Then came the lamb burger ($17) with a French goat feta cheese and onions on a sourdough bun from Balthazar Bakery. The burger was great. It was extremely juicy and perfectly cooked. Part of me craved condiments, but the other part realized the burger was perfect as it was, with the lamb flavor and the French feta perfect complements with one another. Also with the burger came some fabulous thrice cooked chips (french fries) and a cumin mayo, that were delicious!

Of course, since I am on a diet, I talked myself into getting the sticky toffee bread pudding ($9) with Turkish coffee, pear, caramel popcorn, and vanilla bean ice cream. I thought the addition of the Turkish coffee was an ingenious idea that made this a splendid dessert!

The Breslin is definitely a cool place to have a drink and a great bite of some British inspired fare. I think it will definitely be a hot spot for a while. With Stumptown Coffee next door, and of course, the Ace Hotel, this corner of 29th and Broadway is truly bringing "hip" up to the Midtown area!

The Breslin
20 W. 29th St. (bet. 5th and Broadway)
New York, NY 10001
212-679-1939

www.thebreslin.com

TABLE FOR ONE: YERBA BUENA (PERRY ST.)

Last night I was invited by a gal friend to have birthday cocktails with her and 7 of her girlfriends at Yerba Buena (Perry St.), the second outpost of Chef Julian Medina's (Toloache) Latin restaurant. I was very excited to say the least for 2 reasons: 1. I have not been to the first Yerba Buena in the East Village, and have been wanting to go for a while, and 2. I would be having cocktails with 7 girls.

I got to the restaurant and the place was packed! There really was not much decor to the place, a few cool looking edison light bulbs was the extent of it. But, you don't come to Yerba Buena for the decor, you come for the food and drink! I took a seat at the bar and was taken care of by Alex, a gracious bartender who would concoct different and unusual off-menu cocktails for me throughout the night. (I would be meeting the girls at their table for dessert.) I started with the Chupa Cabra; Herradura Blanco, cucumber, lime, mint, and Cholula (hot sauce). The drink was refreshing and great, and the addition of Cholula gave it the perfect kick to start off my meal.

I ordered the arepas ($13), fish tacos ($13), and red jalapeno fries ($6).

The arepas came with coffee glazed pork belly and cabbage slaw. I must tell you that they were amazing! The sweetness of the pork belly balanced perfectly with the tartness of the slaw. The slaw gave a great crunch to the dish as well. These arepas were some of the best bites I have put in my mouth all year!

The fish tacos came with tilapia Baja style and chipotle-mango slaw. They too, were quite excellent, delicious, and amazing! 

The fries were fine, but really nothing special, so I sent them back and ordered the manchego cheese croquettes with pickled jalapeño, and salsa verde ($8). This was a smart move because these little croquettes were small bites of deliciousness! They were extremely addictive and the perfect snack to go with one of Yerba Buena's great cocktails.

After this great meal and a few drinks I stopped by my friend's bday table filled with ladies and desserts. It was pretty much heaven- especially when I dipped my spoon into the Yerba Buena Dulce De Leche Sundae ($9) with bananas, candied pecans, and dulce de leche. I only had one spoonful, but that was all I needed to give me a culinary orgasm. I couldn't tell which I enjoyed more- that sundae or all the women.

Yerba Buena is an amazing place for great cocktails and great Latin cuisine. I will tell you that it is extremely loud inside, the acoustics are awful, and I had to scream throughout the night. So, I recommend not talking, just drinking and eating, and you will be one satisfied customer. I know I was.

Yerba Buena (Perry St.)
One Perry St. (at Greenwich Ave)
New York, NY 10014
212-629-0808
www.ybnyc.com

TABLE FOR ONE: THE STANDARD GRILL

Last week was fashion week here in NYC and I decided to go to one of the city's newest and hottest spots for dinner: The Standard Grill. This is the restaurant that is beneath the Highline and part of Andre Balazs' Standard Hotel. It is a large restaurant with outdoor seating, many seats in the bar area, and more seats in the formal dining room. I chose my seat at one of seven chairs that overlook the kitchen. It was a Monday night, and the place was packed. 

I started with the charred Spanish octopus with sweet potato and chilis ($13). This was a great dish. The octopus was perfectly cooked, and the textures and flavors all complemented each other perfectly. 

For my entree I had the Berkshire pork chop with spiced salt ($21). This was a big, juicy, hunk of meat, and was really tasty. The spiced salt came on the side so I could salt it according to my liking, which I thought was interesting. I'm used to having the chef choose the amount of seasoning for me; I'm not sure if I like this or not, but it still was a nice chop. There was a side of apricot and pineapple chutney too which I thought was too sweet for my taste, and I would have preferred either a different side to complement the meat, or nothing at all. The chef, Dan Silverman, also sends out with every entree a bowl of patatas bravas, which were good, and a nice touch.

The Standard Grill is a place to see and be seen. It is definitely a hot spot, and the food here delivers. So if you are craving good food with a great scene, The Standard Grill is the place to be. (Also, this restaurant could have the coolest bathrooms in NYC; unisex in a cavern-like setting!)

The Standard Grill
848 Washington Street (at 13th Street-under the Highline, part of The Standard Hotel)
New York, NY 10014
212-645-4100
www.thestandardgrill.com

TABLE FOR ONE: SORELLA

Last night I finally went Sorella, an Italian restaurant in the Lower East Side I have been wanting to go to since it opened. It is a really nice space with two small bars in the front, (for wining, beering, and dining,) and a small dining area in the back enlcosed by a sunroof (or moonroof). The lighting is dim, lit by lights in what look like propellers in the bar area, and candles, perfect for a date. Or dining alone in my case. It has a romantic, yet homey feel.

I took a seat at one of the bars and asked for some recommendations. I ended up getting a watermelon and cucumber salad, the pate de fegato, and the Tajarin.

To start off the meal instead of bread you are given grissini, basically breadsticks. But friends, these are not your ordinary breadsticks. These grissini are made in-house by Sorella's dessert chef and are extremely addictive. I wish they packaged them so I could take some home to snack on. I loved them! 

The watermelon and cucumber salad ($13) (which was recommended by chef/owner Emma Hearst) came with cashews, caprino (Italian goat cheese), basil, and pickled red onion. The funny thing is I am not a fan of cashews nor watermelon, yet I thought this salad was fantastic! It was extremely refreshing and was like "Summer in your mouth"! All the components worked really well with each other. The fact that you could take two ingredients I don't really like and combine them into something I enjoy says a lot about this restaurant

The next dish I had was the pate de fegato ($8), a dish I had seen on their online menu before coming and knew I needed to order. It is a duck fat english muffin bread, chicken liver mousse, fried egg, and bacon. And, it is one of the best dishes I have ever eaten in my life! Of course, you don't want to think about dieting at all when eating this dish, and that is fine (I walked over 40 blocks to the restaurant anyways) it's just an amazing dish. The bacon is candied and delicious, and gives the dish a nice sweetness. The mousse is smooth and addictive. I literally got a tear in my eye after my first bite, it was that good!

I really wanted to try one of Sorella's house-made pastas and went with the Tajarin ($12) with lamb ragu, black pepper ricotta, pistachios, and mint. This dish was unbelievable! The pasta was perfectly cooked, and the combination of all the ingredients was harmonious. I am not a fan of mint, yet the mint in this dish took the dish to another level, giving it an extra complexity and kick that I loved. This was another dish where an ingredient I disliked I really enjoyed. The lamb ragu was absolutely delicious and the pistachios gave the dish some nice crunch, and complemented the mint perfectly. This was a great pasta dish.

I was definitely stuffed at this point but how could I travel over 40 blocks and not have dessert? That would have been a crime, and might even be illegal in some states. I ordered the Bicerin ($8), which is espresso fudge, chocolate pudding, and soft whipped cream. Ironically again, I am not a fan of pudding, but ordered the dish because the staff and chefs recommended it, and I was not disappointed. This was some great pudding. The espresso fudge took this dessert to another level, for the espresso flavor was strong and great. Two little sugar cookies accompanying the dish was a pleasant touch as well.

I should mention that the prices here are unbelievable as well, the most expensive dish being $16, making this place a great bang for your buck! There are also some great wines available for all you oenophiles out there.

Sorella is definitely one of my favorite NYC restaurants. There is a lot of heart in this place, from the homey and romantic feel, to the amazing food. This is a restaurant everyone needs to go to, no matter where they live.

Sorella
95 Allen Street (bet. Broome and Delancey)
New York, NY 10002
212-274-9595
www.sorellanyc.com

TABLE FOR ONE: KYO YA

A few weeks ago I stopped in Kyo Ya, an East Village Japanese restaurant I had heard great things about. Stepping inside Kyo Ya brought me out of NYC and into one of the most serene and calm restaurants I have ever encountered. It was like another world inside, especially because I was the only caucasian in the place, everyone else being Japanese (which was good sign to me that the food must be good here!).

I sat down at one of two bars and asked the waitress for recommendations. I went with the Yuba and Uni Yoshino style ($12) and the Kurobuta Kakuni ($12).

The Yuba and Uni Yoshino style is sea urchin on tofu skin in a crystal clear sauce. It was quite unusual, delicate, and had very unique textures. I really enjoyed the dish. The NYC FOODIE loves experimenting and loves trying new things. 

The Kurobata Kakuni is slowly cooked pork belly and was really good. The meat was extremely tender and the sauce was delicious. There was also something very delicate about the dish.

It seems the whole calm and serene vibe of Kyo Ya transpires through the food too. So if you desire great Japanese food, in a quiet and meditative setting, Kyo Ya is perfect. 

Kyo Ya
94 E. 7th Street (at 1st Ave)
New York, NY 10009

212-982-4140

TABLE FOR ONE: TASTY HAND-PULLED NOODLES

Yesterday afternoon I had an amazing culinary adventure.

Two weeks ago I stopped by Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodles, a noodle spot on Doyers St. in Chinatown. Doyers Street is probably my favorite NYC block. Besides it's charming look, which looks like a film set, it has one of my favorite Vietnamese restaurants (Doyers Vietnamese Restaurant), as well as one of my favorite cocktail lounges (Apotheke). And, after yesterday, one of my favorite restaurants in all of New York City: Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodles.

When I went two weeks ago, I ordered a bowl of hand-pulled noodles with beef, tripe, and tendon ($5.25), as well as an order of pork and vegetable dumplings ($3.75). I was pretty much blown away by this noodle soup and could not stop thinking about it since I had left. I vowed to go back asap.

So, yesterday, I walked from my apartment on 46th street to Chinatown, with noodles on my mind. I got to Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodles, which is nothing to look at; besides some mirrors and walls with pictures of fish on them, the decor is non-existent. But you don't go to Tasty for the decor, you go for the noodles- the best hand-pulled noodles I have ever had! 

I ordered the dumplings again, (I am a lover of dumplings), and this time, instead of getting my hand-pulled noodles in a soup, I ordered them pan-fried, and topped with lamb (5.75).

The noodles are made to order, and as I sat and waited, I could see through the open door to the kitchen, the 19-year old kid making these noodles. It was an amazing show. This young chap rolling, twisting, and throwing dough into the air with determined concentration; a true art form.

As I waited though, who walks in, but my friend and Food Network Star Anne Burrell (http://www.foodnetwork.com/anne-burrell/index.html), and with her Guy Fieri (http://guyfieri.com/), another Food Network Star! This of course assured me that I know my shit and know my restaurants! I sad hi to Anne, as she and Guy sat down for a beer to watch this kid make the noodles.

My noodles finally arrived, and the generous and gracious waitress actually made me a sauce with the hot sauces and vinegar that were on my table, for dipping the lamb in. Just as my first time here, the noodles were amazing, the best I had ever had. I offered a taste to Anne and Guy, and they loved them too. I then did a small little magic show for them and two other customers in the restaurant. It truly was brunch and a show!

Then Guy decided he really wanted to learn how to make these amazing noodles, so he coerced the chef into teaching him, and I proceeded to take pictures of it all! It truly was an amazing culinary adventure.

After two meals at Tasty, it has become one of my favorite restaurants in all of NYC. Not only is it the best hand-pulled noodles in town, but for $5 to $6 a dish, this is an amazing bang for your buck! I recommend everyone to check this place out, even if you are not a fan of Chinatown or noodles, just go. You never know who you'll run into.

Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodles
1 Doyers St. (bet. Pell St. and Bowery)
New York, NY 10013

212-791-1817