TABLE FOR ONE: AZA WINE & TAPAS

I rarely go uptown, but a birthday party on the Upper East Side at Aza Wine and Tapas led me to some tasty and flavorful bites.

Mini black Angus hamburgers got my juices flowing. 

Some shrimp cocktail tapas was also a nice bite.

Paella Valencia, with fresh seafood, chicken, and Spanish sausage was really good. Great flavor throughout this dish, made the trip to the Upper East side worth it.

So don't be afraid to venture to places you're not used to going to; you never know what foodie treasures you'll find.

Aza Wine and Tapas
1668 3rd Ave (bet. 93rd and 94th)
New York, NY 10128
212-426-1416

www.azanyc.com

TABLE FOR ONE: JUNOON

Ever think about pairing wine with Indian food? Neither did I, until I dropped by Junoon last week. Junoon is a new sprawling, gorgeous, and serene, upscale Indian restaurant on 24th Street. The fact they have three sommeliers walking the floor every night is unique to Indian restaurants, and great! They have a nice cocktail list (a ginger martini surely hit the spot!) and a fabulous selection of wine to pair with some terrific and flavorful Indian fare.

Have a sommelier pair a wine with the star anise sea scallop ($15) with cracked white peppercorn, and cinnamon roasted chutney. A fine starter with playful flavors elevating those scallops to new heights.

The goat matke wala ($26), with garlic, tomato, bay leaf, and pomegranate, had truly fabulous, powerful flavor. My taste buds were beyond happy. Definitely order a side of some great nan to soak up the sauce. You will love it!

Wine and Indian fare at Junoon. Sounds like a perfect evening to me.

Junoon
27 W. 24th Street (bet. Broadway and 6th)
New York, NY 10010
212-490-2100

www.junoonnyc.com

TABLE FOR ONE: NUELA

I found the best ceviche in NYC. Maybe the country. Maybe the world. That is a pretty bold statement, for sure. I haven't even eaten that much ceviche in my life. But, I cannot fathom ceviche being any better than what I ate at Nuela, Adam Schop's modern South American restaurant on west 24th street. This large, colorful space, will inspire you to grab a margarita, but then sit at a table, or for the full ceviche experience, hop right up to a seat at the ceviche bar, and I recommend ordering any and every ceviche offered. They are fabulous!

All the ceviches have pitch-perfect flavor and texture, and are refreshingly amazing. From delicious octopus to silky hamachi, you can't go wrong with anything you order. Ceviche heaven awaits.

I had room for other tasty bites at Nuela too, like a smoked brisket arepa (for the latin jews-great), or an Adobo Tuna Anticucho with creamy grits (orgasmic).

And then there is the "Arroz Con Pato". Crispy duck breast, confit thighs and gizzards, roasted foie gras, verde rice, and a soft duck egg. If God is a fan of duck and rice, this is what he'd order. 

So, for the best ceviche, and a duck dish that will have you "quacking" for more, Nuela is the spot.

Nuela
43 W. 24th Street (bet. broadway and 6th)
New York, NY 10010
212-929-1200

www.nuelany.com

TABLE FOR ONE: MARC FORGIONE

The Food Network's newest Iron Chef has a really good restaurant down in Tribeca. Marc Forgione's namesake modern rustic neighborhood restaurant is serving some great dishes with unique and complex flavors. I stopped in two weeks ago and was very satisfied. 

An amuse of butternut squash crostini and venison sausage was unique and "wintery".

I was sent out a scallop that was the epitome of freshness. It was scallop perfection!

A pasta dish with an egg in the middle had very complex flavors that tickled my taste buds with joy.

A rib eye steak with homemade barbecue sauce was spot on terrific. The sauce had the perfect tang to complement the delicious meat.

For dessert, the Peanut Butter Terrine, with Banana Ice Cream and Candied Peanuts was pure awesomeness. Flavor and texture ingenuity. I loved this dessert with all my heart!

So, no matter what neighborhood you live in, head on down to Tribeca to taste some Iron Chef cuisine first hand. It's worth the trek.

Marc Forgione
134 Reade St. (and Hudson St.)
New York, NY 10013
212-941-9401
www.marcforgione.com

TABLE FOR ONE: AI FIORI

Chef Michael White has done it again. My pick for America's top chef cooking Italian fare, has opened up another restaurant. Ai Fiori, on the second floor of the brand new Setai Hotel on Fifth Avenue, is serving upscale Italian cuisine. And it's really good. 

The space is exquisite, you can tell no expense was spared. I sat at the bar last week and had a fine meal. Lobster veloute ($18) with shaved chestnuts, and black truffle was soothing and a delight. 

A pansotti ($23) with braised veal chunks, butternut squash, and black truffle sugo was delicious and devoured in moments. A true Winter's tale.

A chocolate dessert from dessert wizard Robert Truitt oozed with goodness.

So get your upscale Italian on at another Michael White winner.

Ai Fiori
400 Fifth Avenue (bet. 36th and 37th inside the Setai Hotel)
New York, NY 10018
212-613-8660

www.aifiorinyc.com

TABLE FOR ONE: MILLESIME

Last night I had the pleasure of dining at Millesime, the French Brasserie seafood restaurant located in the Carlton Hotel. The two level space, with formal dining upstairs (where I dined), and more casual dining downstairs, is absolutely stunning. Truly elegant and beautiful, the space truly is the basis for an extremely pleasurable dining experience. 

The service is spot on, and hopefully you will be delighted by the fantastic Maitre'd Samy, to help guide you along your meal as I did last night. The food is beyond wonderful too. 

A Hamachi tartare ($15) with lime and ginger cream, and shiso was excellent. A great start to the meal. The wonderful flavors, with a delightful kick, opened up my taste buds. My palate was pleased.

Smoked herring salad ($15) with warm fingerling potato salad was also fabulous. Perfectly executed, I never had herring prepared this way, and I was happy to broaden my culinary horizon

Calamars Carbonara ($14), calamari, bacon, and parmesan was unbelievable! This is one of the most memorable dishes I've encountered in my life. What looked like pasta, was in fact squid, and it tasted so good, I had a culinary orgasm. It was just the right amount of richness, a truly fabulous dish. I just hope my moaning didn't annoy anyone around me.

Black Sea Bass was a perfectly executed, wonderful filet of fish too. Classic French done right. I could eat this fish any day. Like Millesime, it was a true delight.

Order a side of gratin of root vegetables ($6) they are great. Also, you must order a side of mousselline ($5) too, because they are the best you'll have. A touch of sweetness, a touch of saltiness, your tongue and body will be thanking you forever.

You can end with Millesime's version of a chocolate bar with tangerine sorbet, it's refreshing and really nice. Or go with a dessert of brioche with armagnac infused ice cream, it'll satisfy you just right.

Millesime is a great restaurant. Everything about this place, from the service, decor, and space, to the fabulous food, is wonderful. If you are there late enough, you will be delighted by some great jazz downstairs, or hopefully you get to hear an opera singing waiter sing an aria. This is really dinner and a show. And it's what New York City is all about.

Millesime
92 Madison Avenue (at 29th Street in the Carlton Hotel)
New York, NYm 10016
212-889-7100
www.millesimerestaurant.com

TABLE FOR ONE: JOHN DORY OYSTER BAR

It was Foodie central last week at the just opened John Dory Oyster Bar at the Ace Hotel on 29th and Broadway. The NYC Foodie, Foodie Magician, wanted to get his seafood on, and did, as well as Entertained some of the top chefs in NYC. 

I walked in at around 10pm, and saw Bobby Flay, Anita Lo, Jamie Oliver, and Anne Burrell, just to name a few..(I'm not a namedropper, just a reporter of facts.) Since this place was not even a week old, there was a limited menu being offered. I had three different types of oysters, shrimp cocktail, and cold poached lobster. I loved the shrimp and oysters, but thought the addition of a tamale vinaigrette to the lobster was unnecessary. Lobster is so fabulous, let it speak for itself, don't drown it in vinaigrettes, etc. (I enjoy a lobster that talks to me about his or her views on the national healthcare system.)

A bar snack of anchovy and parsley on toast tickled my tongue with glee.

There's nothing like ending a night of seafood bites, and entertaining foodies, with malted chocoloate ice cream with Baileys and honeycombs. A fabulous, delectable, crunchy, dessert, that had me at "hello". And I said "good-bye" to it within seconds. A magician in love, devouring with joy, a disappearing act finale.

The John Dory Oyster Bar is very new, but is already a crowd favorite. It's just another addition to this area of NYC, that is making it cooler, better, and a place to be reckoned with. Stop by for some wine and a seafood snack, and you'll be plenty satisfied. Plus, you never know who you'll run into, or who will entertain you.

John Dory Oyster Bar
1196 Broadway (at 29th Street, attached to the Ace Hotel)
New York, NY 10001
212-792-9000

www.thejohndory.com

TABLE FOR ONE: LANI KAI

A modern tropical oasis lies in west Soho. This is cocktail queen Julie Reiner's (Flatiron Lounge, Clover Club) Lani Kai, a two floor lounge to get your mai tai on. Located in the former Tailor space, I dropped in last week to imbibe on some Pacific themed cocktails and tasty bites.

Get your hairs to stand up with the Crystal Skull ($13), jalapeno infused tequila, Mezcal, Dry Vermouth, Arrack, Maraschino, Absinthe and orange bitters. Then dig into the tuna poke ($15), Ahi tuna done poke style with chilies, sesame, soy, macadamia nuts and cucumber, served with taro root chips. I loved the flavor and texture of this dish.

If rum tickles yer fancy, dive into the drink "8 Days A Week" ($13), Jamaican, Haitian, Guyanan Rums, toasted coconut milk, demerara, vanilla syrup and Donn’s spices. Pair that with a pork bun slider ($4) and a BBQ short rib slider ($5), and you'll be whisked away to Hawaii in no time. The sweet and tasty short rib slider, dressed with ginger barbeque sauce and topped with a crunchy slawroot chips will linger in your thoughts for a while.

Don't forget to order the succulent and delicious Char Su Baby Back Ribs ($13), ribs roasted in Chinese barbeque sauce, garnished with crushed macadamia nuts and scallion. These babies paired with your buzz will satisfy you immensely. End with the Green Destiny ($13), shiso leaves, gin, dry vermouth, grapefruit, and lemon juice, and your night will be complete. 

So stop by this Tropical paradise for a drink and a nibble, and New York City will turn into Hawaii for a night. You might not get lei'd on the way in, but hopefully by the end of the night, you will.

Lani Kai
525 Broome St. (bet. Sullivan and Thompson)
New York, NY 10013
646-596-8778

www.lanikainy.com

TABLE FOR ONE: DONATELLA

Donatella Arpaia's new Italian joint in Chelsea serving fine Italian fare and pizza is a.. fine joint serving Italian fare and pizza. I started with the Margherita ($14), san marzano tomatoes, mozzarella, parmigiano reggiano, basil. It was fine and had great flavor, the sweetness of the tomatoes stood out. I will say that the dough was not as crispy as I like, some would even say soggy. I loved my pasta of Paccheri Alla Genovese ($15), braised beef, and onion sauce. It was absolutely delicious! You should end your meal with the Sfogliatella, flaky pastry, semolina ricotta cream, orange blossom, and honey syrup. It is warm, soothing, and fantastic.

Donatella
184 8th Avenue (bet. 19th and 20th)
New York, NY 10011
212-493-5150
www.donatellastyle.com

TABLE FOR ONE: ICHIUMI

I'm all about positivity-in life, and on this site, so I'm going to attempt to make this one a quickie. IchiUmi is a Japanese sushi and seafood buffet on 32nd Street. I don't normally do buffets, but I was curious (I was not high- at the time), and had been to this place under a different name, and thought it was ok, so thought, why not? Well, after my experience here yesterday, I now know why not.

I arrived at 2pm (on Saturday), the place stops serving lunch at 3pm, and the chefs stop preparing food at 2:30. The place is huge, it spans a full city block, and has seating on two floors, yet, I still had to wait, because the hostess said they were full. I have no problem waiting, especially for good food (that doesn't exist here), alas, when I was brought to my table, I walked by plenty of empty tables. I guess the hostesses didn't see them. That's not the weird thing. The weird thing was that I was taken to my table for one, into a private room, a room right next to the main dining room, separated by a sliding wall. I don't recommend eating here if you are solo. It was one of the weirdest things, and the fact I passed many empty tables in this enormous restaurant on my journey to this "Guam", I would say it was stupid and pointless. They actually opened up a whole other room, just to seat me. 

The food here is not good. It is one of the worst restaurants in NYC. I understand you are a buffet and need to turn out many dishes to many people, but the quality needs to be decent. I will tell you that, I did not get food poisoning, so that is a good thing. I never score restaurants, but if I did it for IchiUmi, it would look like this:

Food=0
Service=0
Atmosphere=0
Overall Experience= -4

I'm not going to even give you the address for this place, because I don't want you going here. Google it if you want.