ristorante cotto caffe

new york, ny

CLOSED

derek and i don't make it out to alphabet city very often. i admit it, we're lazy. east of 1st ave is no man's land. well, smack in the middle of no man's land is a lovely little italian restaurant. a friend had chosen the restaurant for his birthday party, so derek and i were forced to venture to the far east. excellent food, excellent atmosphere, and amazing desserts. there were some issues with the wine - a few bottles had to be sent back when they tasted like vinegar. but the waiters cheerfully replaced them with a different wine.

the atmosphere is very cozy - almost like you're eating in someone's home. handmade pasta. homemade desserts. chatting with the waiter, with the owner, and with the cook ("italian food made by an italian!") for dessert, they brought out 3 platters each with selections of their homemade desserts. one platter had candles in the cakes. they turned off all the lights in the restaurant and sang happy birthday to our friend. even though the pasta was delicious, i think my favorite part was the dessert platter - homemade tiramisu, cheesecake, chocolate cake, and panna cotta pie. definitely worth the trek.

churrascaria plataforma

w bway (franklin/white)

website

the price of their prix fixe dinner has increased significantly since i took ryan and cindy here on their nyc vacation a few years ago. the price is understandable because it is all-you-can-eat, but i simply don't eat enough to justify the cost. i'm saddened because i like this place - great food and lots of fun. at the beginning of the meal, everyone gets a disc that is green on one side, red on the other. if you leave the red side up, you are free to go to the "salad" bar, which includes sushi, cheese, risotto, salads, various antipasti, and the BEST chicken salad i've ever tasted. i would be completely satisfied with a meal that consisted entirely of the "salad" bar.

but wait, there's more. flip your disc to the green side and that gives the waiters the green light to start bringing you giant slabs of meat. the meat is often carried by the waiter on a spear. if you would like a piece of a particular cut of meat, the waiter slices off a piece for you. there are all different kinds and cuts - duck, filet mignon wrapped in bacon, chicken, sausage, prime rib, sirloin, beef rib, pork rib - even octopus and salmon. my favorite was the sirloin - fatty and juicy with crispy charred spots. amazing. derek has mastered the art of staring down waiters who are carrying his desired cut of meat. it's quite impressive - he spots them as they walk out of the kitchen and stares at them until they walk to our table. with the price, however, this is a restaurant to save for special occasions - maybe the next time will be when cindy and ryan visit the big apple again!

almond

new york, ny

website

despite the fact that it is just a stone's throw away from our apt building, derek and i had only eaten at almond once before i started this blog. it was over-priced and just okay. given that this particular restaurant location was notorious for failed restaurants (See rocco dispirito's union pacific), we didn't bother trying it again. but a bar is a bar, so when michelle asked us to meet up with her for drinks at almond, we happily joined her. the house cocktails are a little too sweet for my tastes, but the bartenders are friendly and attentive. michelle agreed that almond's dinner menu is sub-par, but she suggested that we try their brunch.

i'm glad we gave this place another chance. derek absolutely loved the "almond hash" - duck confit, roasted onions, potatoes, duck cracklins, and poached egg. delicious, with juicy and crispy duck and served with crusty grilled bread that's been brushed with butter. still, almond has its misses - the coffee is terrible and my ricotta pancakes were just okay. but if you stick with the hash and iced tea, then this is an excellent brunch spot. great for kids too - the restaurant even has baby food on the menu! it's $3 so you probably want to bring your own anyway, but it's a nice touch.

charbonnel chocolate cafe

new york, ny

link to yelp

i love this secluded little spot on the 8th floor of saks fifth avenue. walking through any of the high-end department stores is a nice way to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. and the chocolate cafe in saks is a nice way to get away from the hustle and bustle of the store. there's a fun conveyer belt where you can grab pastries as they pass by. there's also a constantly running chocolate fountain, but it's not within anyone's reach so i think it's just for decoration.

my favorite thing to get here is the "english tea" with english breakfast tea, a white chocolate-cranberry scone, served with clotted cream and jam. quite lovely. derek ordered the mocha - made with their excellent and decadent chocolate - which he really enjoyed. this is a hidden little gem in midtown manhattan.

houston's

new york, ny

website

this restaurant is a nationwide chain with two branches in new york. very solid food and a pretty good wine list. one branch is in the same building as my office and another branch is just a few blocks from my apartment. both spaces are very spacious and have comfortable booth seating. and if you're in a hurry, there's usually a few seats at the bar and you can order from the regular menu.

my favorites include the french dip (pictured) - buttery roll with roast beef, excellent au jus and delicious french fries, the california burger (though not as good as BLT burger), and the ribs - fall-off-the bone tender with good bbq sauce. yum. houston's (or hillstone or whatever it's called now) is a very dependable restaurant if you want some good american food and don't feel like squeezing into a tiny east village hole-in-the-wall.

rai rai ken

new york, ny

link to yelp

derek and i were wandering the east village on a friday night trying to find a place to eat that didn't have a long wait. redhead had an hour+ wait and there was no room to wait at the bar. momofuku noodle bar was so packed we didn't even bother asking. derek was craving ramen and i remembered a friend had told me about rai rai ken, so we decided to try it out.

derek loved that it reminded him of the ramen bars we visited in japan. corn might be one of my favorite foods and i love that it was an optional add-in at rai rai ken. although that's about all that this place has going for it. it's a good spot if you're in the neighborhood and you absolutely can't wait for momofuku or ippudo or are too lazy to walk to ramen setagaya.