On Top of Spagetti, All Covered with Cheese...

The weather outside is definitely frightful these days but that hasn't stopped me from bracing the cold and wind and snow to cross restaurants off my list! My most recent adventure took me to the West Village for some great Italian comfort food. Piccolo Angolo has been on my list for a while and it's one of those restaurants that has been around for years so you know it has to be good.

Walking in on a freezing Thursday night, I felt like I was walking into an Italian family Christmas dinner. The restaurant is small, probably only 20ish tables and there were three huge parties going on. Brittany, Kristen and I were seated in the back near the kitchen and was greeted by the nicest waitress I've had in a while. Turns out she's not just a waitress but the owners daughter and had great recommendations for us and was extremely accommodating with our preferences. You can tell right away why this place is so popular. The staff is all one family and they're main goal is to please the customer. The daughter ended up leaving to walk her dad home in the cold, but she got our order in first.

We started with the highly recommended meatballs. They were 2 softball sized balls with marinara sauce that was great for dipping the garlic bread into. We wanted to finish the whole plate, but needed to save room for the two pastas we ordered next.

We got the gnocchi with bolognese sauce and the lobster cannelloni with their vodka sauce. It's hard to beat my mom's meat sauce, but Piccolo's was really good. It was more meaty than saucy and tasted great with the gnocchi. The serving size was definitely good enough for sharing if you're a girl and maybe a little small if you're a guy who likes his pasta.

The cannelloni was good, but for sure came in third place. There were lots of chunks of lobster and the vodka sauce was good, but it just didn't compare to the other two dishes we got. Finished off with a reasonably priced bottle of Pinot, it was a successful reunion with friends!

I loved the homey feeling of this restaurant but don't try going if you don't have a reservation. There is no room to wait inside and if it's winter time in the City, I doubt you'll be wanting to wait outside, no matter how good the food is.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

It all started on Monday afternoon as I was perusing my usual blogs, Web sites etc when I went on the Momofuku site on the chance that there was an open Fried Chicken Dinner reservation. Expecting to see pages and pages of little black X's like I usually do, I didn't give it much thought, just went clicking away. But to my surprise, there it was - the green check mark! It was for a 6pm Fried Chicken Dinner on Wednesday, December 16 (Yesterday). I clicked on it right away, called my sister, put in my credit card information and we were SET!

For those of you who are new readers to my blog, or have no idea what I'm talking about let me explain. Everyday, Momofuku Noodle Bar has 3 reservations for their infamous Fried Chicken Dinner. 5pm, 6pm, and 10pm (plus 2 later ones on the weekend). You can only make a reservation online and you can only have 4-8 people at each seating. I've been checking regularly for the past couple of months and have never seen availability.

Me, my sister and 4 other friends arrived last night promptly at 6:00 pm fearing that they might take away our fried chicken. We were seated at our own table and were told that our 2 and a half fried chickens were being cooked as we spoke and would be out in 15 minutes. Our waiter warned us that we were about to receive a HUGE amount of food, but we ordered 2 orders of the pork buns anyway because who can refuse them?

First came the pork buns, that were devoured immediately, and then came the "bounty" and 4 dipping sauces. The bounty is a huge bowl containing bibb lettuce, mint leaves, parsley, turnips and some carrots to eat with our fried chicken and mu shu pancakes. I don't remember exactly what each of the 4 sauces were, but one was with garlic and jalapeno, a regular plum sauce, a spicy paste concoction and a shallot/pesto tasting sauce. All were yummy except I didn't really like the spicy hot sauce type one.

And then the main event came to our table. All the tables around us turned to stare as a mountain high plate of 2 different fried chickens came to our table. One half was of your normal southern style chicken and the other half was Korean style with a hint of spice. You've never seen 6 petite girls dig in so fast. I started with the Korean style plain, with no pancake. It was amazing. The outside was so fried but the inside was so moist - I don't know how they do it. After finishing off a little wing of the Korean, I went on to a huge piece of the southern style. I added a pancake and a piece of bibb lettuce, the jalapeno sauce and plum sauce and wrapped it up. Awesome! Triple fried pieces of chicken with a warm and flavorful middle combined with the pancake and sauces.

This is mostly a picture of the Korean style chicken, but you can see the Southern style in the back!

Conversation was light throughout dinner but we mostly talked about was "this is so good!" "I'm so full, why can't I stop eating?" After 2 little pieces of the Korean, a big piece of the southern a half of pork bun later, I couldn't force myself to eat another bite, even though I really wanted to.


There was still enough chicken to feed an army so we doggy bagged it up and took it home.


Readers, you should add https://reservations.momofuku.com/login.aspx?unit=4 to your daily Web site stalking and hopefully you will be able to experience the dinner that I had last night.


Lunch Time!

A Week of Eats

I'll continue from where I left off last week after a great dinner at Ben & Jacks. I was supposed to go to Gradisca (where the owners grandmother makes home made pasta in the back) with my dad and sister on Wednesday night, but the Grateful Dead and front row seating was a priority so instead, I traveled through the chaos of Rockefeller Center to Hells Kitchen to meet Robin and Jenna before we saw Love, Loss & What I Wore starring Kristen Chenowith!! (and some other celebs).

Not only were we in Hells Kitchen, an area I do not frequent very often, but we ate at Hells Kitchen too! A Mexican Restaurant a little west of Times Square and perfect for a pre/post theatre experience.

We were on a time crunch so we ordered in a flash but were very happy with our decisions. We started with the rock shrimp cakes and the fried plantain gorditas with goat cheese and salsa. Jenna is obsessed with goat cheese and who can blame her -- it's one of the best cheeses around.

The shrimp cakes were good but I pictured them different in my head so I was a little disappointed. But the gorditas were yum. They looked like a little fried ball and on the inside were the plantains and the goat cheese.

For entrees the three of us shared the roasted chicken with cilantro mashed potatoes and the halibut with sweet plantain puree. Both were great! The chicken was very moist and the sauce was a black bean type of sauce that went together really well. I loved the mashed potatoes also -a little spicy and very creamy. The halibut was good too. Cooked really well and went great with the sweet plantains.

There was no time for dessert but the dinner was great and the service was fast which was necessary. Robin and I both agreed that this dinner was better than Maya the week before and less expensive which is always nice.

Friday we had one of our favorite visitors in town so we took her to Otto - a staple Italian Restaurant in the Village and a perfect girls restaurant before a night out. It's great for sharing and we did a lot of it. Cheese plate, pizzas (one with goat cheese of course), and an antipasti plate combined with a bottle of wine and dirty martinis couldn't have been better for a fun night out with my girlfriends!

Beware, reservations are hard to score, but they have a huge bar scene where you can order pretty much everything on the menu except for the pizzas and pastas.

Music for Life

If you're a frequent viewer of my blog, then you've noticed a new widget on the right hand side, called ChipIn!

Although this post has nothing to do with food, The African Children's Choir is a organization very close to my friend Erin's heart and she is currently making a documentary about these African children called "Upbeat" In order for her to make the best movie possible, any donation is appreciated.

I encourage everyone to check out The African Children's Choir Web site and Erin's blog about the making of her movie! She has been around the world with these children and I personally can't wait to see her movie come to life.

Good luck Buddi!

Porterhouse for 4

Yesterday was a red meat kind of day. It started out with a lunch with friends at Pj Clarkes next to my office. It's a great burger restaurant with yummy fries as well. Everyone at the table got a cheeseburger with fries and had a great meal until our water glasses were ripped from our hands. I guess that was a sign that they officially wanted us to leave. PJ's always has a huge lunch crowd and happy hour crowd and a good dinner crowd as well. They don't take reservations but the upstairs higher end restaurant, Sidecar does. They have the same burger and some good $18 salads as well.

(I forgot to take pictures of the food, so ketchup and mustard became our accessories.)

If you are ever in the Midtown area and need a quick good meal, I suggest trying out Pj's.

Still full from lunch, I then met my dad, his fellow dead head friend and my sister at the new Ben & Jacks location on 28th and 5th avenue. Ben & Jacks is pretty much a copy of the ultra famous Peter Lugar's in Brooklyn. Both known for their porterhouse steak, we knew we were ordering that from the get go.

We got the porterhouse for 4, Caesar salads, sauteed spinach, steamed broccoli and 1/2 onion rings 1/2 homemade chips for the sides. The steak was cooked to perfection. A little on the medium rare side but that's how we like it. The salad was great and even split it for me and my sister in the kitchen. The spinach came with pieces of garlic for a great touch and the onion rings were extra fried and delicious. Topped off with 2 bottles of Pinot Noir, it was a great 6:00pm dinner.

From the Mayan Riviera to Maya

Friday night was dinner and a movie night and I was super excited to try Maya and see the Blindside -- it was amazing!

Robin and I got a coupon off Groupon - which is a daily e-mail sent out with a special each day. This deal was a $50 coupon for only $25! Neither of us had been to Maya so we traveled uptown with Lindsey to give it a try.

My sister is a big fan of the upscale Mexican eatery so I was sure I would be too. We got seated immediately and ordered the guac and glasses of wine. The guac was really good. Robin and I like it spicy and Lindsey does not so they even brought us some jalapenos on the side.

Next we ordered the tuna tostadas that came in 3 pieces which was perfect, the mahi mahi, the chicken dish and a side of the creamed corn.

The tuna was cooked well but I don't remember it having that great of a taste. The chicken came already sliced in a little tower which was a pretty presentation and it was very flavorful and the mahi mahi was good as well. A little spicy but nothing we couldn't handle. The creamed corn was my favorite -- it was sweet and creamy (obviously) and yum! And they also brought black beans and rice to the table which was a nice touch.

We also got 2 desserts - the goat cheese crepes with caramel sauce was very unique and good and the chocoflan. Flan on the top and chocolate cake on the bottom. An interesting combination especially because I like chocolate cake but not so much flan, but we were intrigued.

Overall Maya was a great dining experience. It wasn't my favorite Mexican restaurant in the city, I say it's sister restaurant Pampano is better (esp. my go to lunch spot - Pampano Taqueria) and Dos Cominos is up there also.

I think I'm a little Mexican fooded out so it's a good thing my dad is coming tomorrow and we're having steak night and then Italian night! Thank you Grateful Dead for having a concert in NYC and my dead head dad for flying in for it.

A Murray Hill Staple

If you're a Jewish girl living in Murray Hill, then you've definitely been to Penelope. If you don't fall into that category, then Penelope might be the hidden gem for you. Located on 30th and Lex, it's the cutest, down to earth restaurant with the best brunch, lunch and dinner. There's always a guaranteed wait even for a random week night dinner and especially for their weekend brunch. I don't even try anymore. You're best luck is to go early in the morning (around 10ish) or later in the afternoon (around 3) in order to get in.

Me and my friend from Elementary school met up at Penelope on Wednesday night at 7:30 and there was already a 20 minute wait. We waited in the cramped sitting area and finally got our table.

Already knowing what we were going to order, I didn't even have to look at the menu. This is one of the only places that I've tried numerous things on the menu. The chicken meatballs as an appetizer or salad (which is my go-to) are delicious. The hummus is a great appetizer too.
The When Veggie Met Sally and their veggie burger are also crowd favorites. I've also had their hamburger, lobster roll, mac and cheese, chicken and brie sandwich and probably some others. The mac and cheese is good but not as good as some other restaurants so that wouldn't be my first suggestion to you.

The food comes out super fast and it's very reasonably priced. It used to be cash only which was annoying but not anymore! I highly suggest Penelope to anyone that hasn't been. They don't take reservations so be ready to wait at any day at any time but they have a bar with yummy sangria and the staff is always super friendly!

Viva La Mexico!

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday! I was fortunate enough to spend my Thanksgiving in the sunny country of Mexico -- where celebrating is at its best. My family and I spent a week long vacation in Riveria Maya to celebrate Thanksgiving and more importantly, my grandma's 90th birthday! We rented a house and layed by the pool everyday and then traveled to town for some delicious meals. My mom did the restaurant researching and my sister did the reservations and every night was better than the last. If anyone is traveling to Playa de Carmen/ Riveria Maya in the future keep on reading! Or if you want to be jealous of my Thanksgiving vacation you can keep on reading as well.

All of the restaurants we went to were in the downtown area of Playa del Carmen either on 5th avenue or off of. Do not be mistaken when I say 5th Avenue because there is no comparison. This one is a block away from the ocean which is a plus but the shopping is sub par. Go only for the gelato, haagen dazs, funny t-shirts and restaurants.

Below are my restaurant recommendations for Playa del Carmen... enjoy!

Casa del Agua - Get the Caesar salad table side and something off their creative drink list!

Cocina 38 - We were the only ones in the restaurant which was great. The tuna tartare was amazing (see picture for proof) and be sure when ordering the duck to specify what temperature you want it cooked at. Some came out too over done. The pork belly appetizer was really good also. I got the filet which was delicious.

Wicky's - Was a great steak house! Right on the water by the light house in brand new condos that aren't even open yet. The lobster mac & cheese was great and so were the truffle fries and of course the steaks. My sister in law Jodi doesn't eat red meat so she got the king crab legs which were delicious as well. They were already cracked and easy to eat! The chef is no older than 28 from Colorado and knows how to do a steak house well! They also offer beach service and breakfast/lunch everyday.

Negrosal - We went here to celebrate mom-mom's 90th bday. The menu was huge and the restaurant was gorgeous and open to the outside. They also had these great stools that went next to your chair so ladies could put their purses on them! A great invention and all restaurants should start using them. To start, I got the fried cheese which tasted like brie with a yummy apricot sauce. We also got the duck spring rolls which are highly recommended and the grilled calamari but beware it was spicy! For entrees the lamb chops were a bit hit, the asparagus crusted salmon and the seafood pasta dishes. They also offer Mayan dishes which was a nice touch for being in Mexico!

We even had a chef some cook us a real Thanksgiving with a 20 lb turkey and all the fixings!

A big thank you goes out to my mom and Michael for a great trip which hopefully we can do again next year!

Now back in New York the eating and blogging will continue...