Truffle in Tribeca

I don't venture down to Tribeca very often, it's not close to the 6 subway line and I don't really have any friends that live there - so when I do take the $15 cab ride down it better be for something good. Locanda Verde is worth the trip. Located in the Greenwich Hotel off a cobble stone street two blocks from the water, Robert DeNiro hit the jackpot with this place. Try calling for a reservation two weeks ahead of time for dinner and the hostess might laugh at you. Ever since it opened back in 09, it's been a hot spot.

I was lucky enough to have a savvy sister who got us in for dinner right around the start of the hype (back in September) and it was awesome. Must order items are the mini lamb sliders and sheep's milk ricotta cheese.

However, this past time I visited, it was for Father's Day Brunch and the experience was just as good. We didn't have to wait at all to get our table (unlike our dinner visit) and the food was phenomenal.

Like dinner, they have the sheep's milk ricotta cheese appetizer, but instead of adding salt and herbs, they add truffle honey in the center and serve orange zested toast on the side. I couldn't stop eating it. Everyone knows how much I love truffle and cheese and they're even better together.

We also got the pastry basket to start which was on the small side for a party of 6, the the contents were awesome. There was this warm blueberry doughnut that melted in your mouth, a buttery scone that went great with the rhubarb jam and some other breads.

I moved on to the polenta waffle that didn't have the taste or texture of polenta topped with fresh strawberries and marscapone cheese. Melissa got the ricotta pancakes that were light and fluffy with some blueberries. They don't even bring you syrup for this dish and when you ask for some they suggest you to try the pancakes without them first. The chef swears you don't need it -- and he's right.

Everyone at the table got something different which was a first and no one had any complaints. I left a little too full (thank you truffle honey and ricotta cheese) and actually made a trip to the gym on a Sunday.

Keep on trying to get into Locanda Verde for dinner because it's worth the trip and don't forget about it for brunch. It's definitely easier to get into and the food is just as delicious.

Match Well Played

It only seemed fitting that I would finally try the ESPN Match Truck today after a great win from team USA. I saw the truck early this morning on my way to work and saved up an appetite. The line wasn't long, especially because it was 2:00, but there were a few stragglers watching the soccer games from the flat screen TV on top. The menu is limited and stays the same every day but everything sounded great.

I have to admit that today was my first experience with "street food" and I'm glad that I chose this certain truck for my first. My co-worker and I shared the rice balls, I got the lamb gyro in support of Greece and my urge to be on a beach in Mykonos right now, and Jen got the carne asada burrito.

It was hard to pass up the fried pork dumplings but I had to stop somewhere. They also had sliders and Bunny Chow (a South African chicken curry on a toasted bun) on the menu for lunch. Since the games can start as early as 7am, they also serve breakfast at the truck, silver dollar pancakes, huevos rancheros and a tortilla espanola - Spanish omelet.

We carried our food back to the office and dug in. I tried the rice balls first and have to admit that I wasn't impressed. They were seared instead of the usual breaded and fried which was nice, but there wasn't much taste to them and the green bean, tomato and mozzarella salad underneath was so oily that it soaked through onto my desk.

I moved onto my gyro and was much happier. The pita wasn't too thick and the lamb was tender and seasoned well. There was also onions, tomatoes, some lettuce and a great tsaziki sauce. For $6, you can't beat it.

Jen's burrito was also really good. Filled with pieces of strip and flank steak, pinto beans, and salsa. There was a hint of garlic but it wasn't too overpowering and the size was huge.

Check out the Web site or follow them on Twitter to find out where the ESPN Match Truck is going next. Stay away from the rice balls, but everything else is fair game.

Get your Tail to Dovetail

It was an UWS kind of day on Saturday with a stop at the New York Historical Society to check out the Grateful Dead Exhibit, a walk through Strawberry Fields, lunch at Isabellas, cookies at Levain (they deserve a whole post to themselves), some pool time at the Empire Hotel finished off with a true fine dining experience at Dovetail. I didn't leave a 10 block radius except for a quick shower and change and fell in love with a whole new area of the city.

Dovetail, a recent creation of John Fraser, has been gaining quick notoriety and even received 3 stars from the New York Times. The ambiance resembled my grandma's living room for some reason, it was very 50's/60's inspired.

The menu was far from a steakhouse, with very thought out dishes that were presented beautifully. My sister elected to do the 5 course tasting menu which allowed to her get a great sense of the menu for a great price. Her tasting consisted of a chilled onion soup, a soft poached egg, the trout, pistachio crusted duck and a dessert. Even though she was the only one who got the tasting, we all tried all of her dishes and they were amazing. Poached and fried eggs are definitely a new trend in the dining scene and this dish did not disappoint. Out of her 5 courses, I liked the duck the best. It was cooked to the rare side and even though it said it came with a curry sauce, no one at the table could taste it.

My brother and I splurged and got the lobster and it was amazing. Already cracked of course, it came with a tail and two claws with a side of ratatouille and was lightly drizzled with an olive vinaigrette. My dad got the trout which was light and summery and my step mom got the halibut (her fav) which came with a side of potato gnocchi that were crispy and delicious.

We finished it off with a chocolate souffle that I could only take a few bites of because I was so full.

It was an amazing meal with impeccable service. If you don't think you can afford the real menu, Dovetail also has a great Sunday Suppa dinner. Two courses for $42.00 and most of the items on the menu are on the original dinner menu as well. Also, if you're a vegetarian like my friend Meghan, make sure you check out their Monday night Veg Special that is 3 courses plus dessert for only $38.00!! They even have some vegan dishes as well.

It's great to see such a high scale restaurant like Dovetail broadening their horizons and trying to find ways to expand their clientele. Not everyone can afford the best of the best but with their Sunday and Monday night specials now you can!

Food Fest Continues...

Being rumored for being one of the best steak houses in the city, Melissa and I had to take our dad to Strip House last Friday night. My dad loves a good steak and potato and apparently so does Amy Poehler and Will Arnett because they were sitting right next to us.

The restaurant itself is super dark with a lot of red lighted accents throughout and it had a very Russian burlesque type of feeling. Our waiter, Nigel, was amazing and was totally opposite of all the bad reviews on Menupages. We didn't have a problem with the service at all and had a great dining experience.

We started the meal with some martinis and red wine of course and a Caesar salad, tomato and mozzarella salad and this amazing warm garlic bread served in a melted Gorgonzola fondue. One of the best things I've ever eaten. The fondue wasn't too overpowering and the garlic bread was covered in melted butter.

I knew I had to share a steak that night, because above everything else the sides are my favorite. Black truffle creamed spinach, ripped potatoes fried with parmesan cheese, macaroni and cheese and creamed corn with pancetta. Obviously not the healthiest options of sides, but they were worth it.

As for the steaks, Melissa and I shared a special of the night, a bone-in Filet. I didn't even know that was an option in the steak category, but it added so much flavor. The chef cooks the meat to the rare side so make sure to make a note of that. Our medium temperature was pink to reddish throughout. My dad got either a strip or a rib eye, I honestly can't remember and I really don't know the difference, but he loved every bite.

We even had some leftovers to take home to Lexi and Chandler, who can polish off a steak bone pretty well.

For dessert we got some sorbet and their famous chocolate cake. It was recently featured on "The Best Thing I ever Ate" - Michael Psilakis, famed chef of Kefi and Anthos absolutely loved it. However, it was not the best thing I ever ate, especially not the best chocolate cake I've ever had. It was a little too cold for me and just didn't melt in my mouth. I do give it credit for being extremely well made, with almost 20 layers of chocolate and mouse.

A great start to an amazing Father's Day Weekend. Strip House is great for any type of occasion and I hear it's popular for Bachelor parties - so single ladies, Opentable is up and running now.

Getting Social on Stanton Street

My family is back in town so you know what that means -- food frenzy! Last night we took my dad, step mom and little brother to Stanton Social. It's always guaranteed for great food, fun atmosphere and a crowded bar and dining area. Stanton Social is one of those restaurants that is great to bring people from out of town and just screams New York night life. It's perfect for sharing and the menu is super creative and has been the same for as long as I've lived here. They never have specials, but they obviously don't have to -there are enough choices to please everyone at your table. Chef Chris Santos has recently increased his fame by starring as a judget on the new television "Chopped" as well.

You might need a candle to read the menu it's so dark inside, but we managed and ordered the usuals: onion soup dumplings, goat cheese and potato Pierogies with caramelized onions and truffle creme fraiche, apple and brie quesadilla and the red snapper fish tacos. But we also tried some things I had never gotten before: tuna sashimi, the baby back ribs, grilled corn on the cob, lobster pizzette with more truffle and marscarpone cheese, a lobster roll, phillysteak with kobe beef and goat cheese and some kobe beef sliders.

They are extremely accommodating and served every dish with five items of each instead of the usual 4 servings. I didn't eat a bad thing and loved all the new dishes I tried. If you plan on going to Stanton Social, you cannot leave without trying the onion soup dumplings. They come 6 to a serving in a little escargot dish covered with melted cheese. Each dumping is filled with soup and caramelized onions and has a crouton on top. They are scolding hot and I always have to cut mine up to eat it, but they are not to be missed.

We didn't leave there without trying their warm chocolate doughnuts with three different dipping sauces, a red velvet Twinkie with a cream cheese filling and two "milkshake shots" with makers mark and caramel ice cream.

If you can get in on a Friday or Saturday night, hit up the bar scene upstairs after or before and make a whole night of it. Any night you go, be prepared for loud conversation and innovative food that has been perfected throughout the years.

Don't forget to try out the brunch as well for their mini eggs benedict, baby belgium waffles, ricotta fritters and the bloody mary and bellini bar.

Taste of New York

You know you're in for a good lunch experience if you actually leave the comfort zone of Manhattan and venture out to another borough. I was privileged enough to head up a trip to Queens one afternoon to Sripraphai, one of the best Thai restaurants in New York. Before trying almost everything on the menu that day, my knowledge of Thai food didn't go past pad Thai and maybe some noodle bowls.

On this special day, I was willing to try anything. We started out with enough appetizers to feed an army. Thai catfish meat with papaya salad, Thai catfish meat with mango salad, roasted duck salad, bbq beef with chili and lime, and ground beef (larb) with chili lime and mint and a shrimp tom yum soup. The catfish meat was pretty strange I'll admit. You would never know what you were eating because it looks like a blob of fried air. It's crunchy and slightly chewy and worth trying if you've never had it before. The bbq beef was heavily rubbed in chili and was pretty spicy. The larb was probably my least favorite - I didn't think it had such a great flavor and I had way too much food on my plate to eat something I didn't love. The tom yum soup was delicious. It was spicy as well with huge pieces of shrimp, and mushrooms. It was a clearish broth and my only gripe is that the tails of the shrimp were still on. Made it kind of hard to eat when you had to take the tails off first.

I could have stopped eating right then and there, but couldn't because we had SO much more food coming. Dark stewed beef tendon soup, drunken noodles with beef chili and basil leaves, fried soft shell crab, crispy pork, green curry with chicken and red curry with beef, and two whole red snappers. And of course sticky rice and coconut rice for the table.

Like I said earlier, I was willing to try anything that day, and that included the dark beef tendon soup. If you want to know what makes the soup dark, ask me because I don't to stop people from trying it. I liked the broth, it was a little sweeter than I imagined but I learned that I do not like beef tendon. It was really chewy and just not for me. The drunken noodles on the other hand were awesome. They were big flat noodles and ground beef and basil leaves. Kind of like a Thai version of pasta bolognese.

I started the lunch thinking that I didn't like curry and wasn't even going to try it. But I changed my mind. Turns out I don't like red curry, but I do like green curry especially with some coconut rice. And of course, what can be bad about fried soft shell crab? It wasn't overly fried and you could just keep on eating and eating it. The best part of soft shell crab is that there is no cracking involved. With real crab like king crab legs, there is too much work involved it's not even worth it.

The adventure in Queens wasn't complete without a trip to the Lemon Ice King of Corona. Corona, Queens - not the beer. The flavors aren't as creative as Ralph's, but these ices are all non dairy. My favorite was the raspberry, cotton candy and coffee.

My advice is to go to Sripraphai when you can take a nap afterwards because you will definitely be in a food coma for the rest of the day. If you're not as adventurous as me, they have your basic pad thai and a whole vegetarian menu also.

Viva SudAfrika!

Hopefully by now, you all have realized that the World Cup has started and will continue in South Africa for a weeks to come. With a lucky goal, USA tied against it's rival England and the games go on. Whether you're watching the games on your couch, at bar or even on your work computer (I won't tell anyone) be sure to make a trip to wherever the ESPN Match Truck is stationed throughout Manhattan.

Food trucks are quite popular these days, and this truck is no exception. There are only two, one in NYC and one in LA and the menu features food from participating countries. Silver dollar pancakes in support of Team USA, Rice Balls for Italy and Mandoo Dumpings for South Korea. All made by the one and only chef Roy Choi, who was voted one of the best new chefs by Food and Wine Magazine. He also knows the food truck business well as he has his own truck (Kogi) on the streets of LA serving Korean Mexican fare day and night.

I haven't been privileged enough to stop by the Match Truck yet, but it's on my to do list and will hopefully hit it up at it's most convenient stop, 23rd street and 5th avenue. Be sure to follow them on twitter for all the recent updates, including its daily locations @ESPNWCTruckNYC

Be on the look out for a more detailed food review, but for now you might need to try this one on your own.

Buena Comida

Summer is sadly flying by and I haven't had a chance to blog about my recent adventures! Bikini season has definitely not stopped me from eating out on countless occasions. Last week I met some friends for dinner at Yerba Buena Perry. A sister location to the original Yerba Buena in the East Village, this restaurant is smack in the middle of the West Village. For a Tuesday night it was pretty crowded but thanks to Opentable, we got seated promptly at our 8:00pm reservation.

My two friends hail from South Florida, so they know their Latin food well so I knew I was in for some good menu choosing. We started with some botanas, which I learned (or googled) are snacks/appetizers. We got the arepas with coffee glazed pork belly and the empanadas with cheese, spinach in a fig vinaigrette. The main selling point for the empanadas was that it also came with Peruvian corn. This isn't just a normal kernel, but one on steroids. The are probably 5 times the size of a normal kernel and delicious. Both dishes were great, the arepas had a strong bbq taste and was super crispy. The empanadas were cheesy and salty - but in a good way.

Not sure why these pictures are turning sideways, I can't figure out how to fix them!

Next we ordered two entrees and the most exciting thing of the whole night - the trio of fries. But I'll get to those in a few. We ordered the shrimp dish and the glazed duck confit. The shrimp were massive with a tomato salsa and hearts of palm on the side. There was a hint of olive in the salsa as well so it turned off a member of the group. The duck was great. It had two pieces, one on the bone and one off and there was a fried duck egg on top. I'm sensing a trend here in the eggs for dinner but I'm liking it.

Now for the trio of fries. These weren't your normal potato fries at all - but a trio of avocado, hearts of palm and watermelon fries. Can you even imagine what a watermelon fry would look like? I couldn't either and that's why we had to order them. Each item was panko crusted and flash fried and served with a bbqish ketchup and another dipping sauce that tasted like a spicy mayo from a sushi restaurant. The watermelon were my favorite, mostly because it was so original. I didn't think it was possible to fry a watermelon and still be able to taste it.

We definitely got some unusual dishes at Yerba Buena, and they didn't disappoint. Without drinking or dessert involved, it was a very reasonable dinner and next I want to try their brunch which I hear is also great!

Trek on over to Tenth Avenue

One of my missions while planning brunch is to pick a place that's near something fun that I can do after I eat my heart out. Saturday's brunch came in mind when we decided that we wanted to spend the day at the Frying Pan, a docked ship/bar on the Hudson River. There's nothing like day drinking in the sun on a boat in the river. Unfortunaely, the Frying Pan is all the way on 12th avenue - quite a schlepp for most east siders like me. But the good news is that there are actually a good amount of restaurants popping up on Tenth Avenue in Chelsea. With the Highline and Frying Pan right around the corner, these places have become more and more popular. We decided on Trestle on Tenth after reading about it in this year's Vanity Fair Summer Guide (if you haven't received it yet - let me know!) and it got my attention because it has a back garden.

Although two of our friends slept through our 12:30 reservation, the rest of the group arrived at the restaurant a little too sweaty to sit outside. We opted for indoors and ordered ice coffees right away. The menu had a lot of things I was unfamiliar with, but the waiter explained them well and they all sounded interesting but good! Many dishes are Swiss inspired and we ordered almost all of them. I got the "Bure Rösti", which was basically hash browns with onions covered with cheese and two fried eggs on top. The potatoes had an interesting spice in them and every other bite or so had a huge kick. The eggs were runny and the dish on a whole was filling.

Lindsey got the other Swiss influenced dish: duck confit hash with poached eggs in a Bearnaise sauce. Duck for breakfast was kind of intense but it was something different and we had to try it. One egg was a little overcooked, but the other was perfect.

Jenna was a plain Jane that morning and just got 2 eggs any style with the same hash browns as me, toast and bacon on the side. Nothing special to report there.

As a side we were deciding between the paprika dusted french fries that looked pretty good and the pizokel. Having never had pizokel, we decided on that and it wasn't our best decision. If you're not familiar with pizokel, it tasted kind of like gnocchi without the potato filling. There was little taste unless you got a bite with the caramelized onions and it was supposed to be with Gruyere cheese but I couldn't taste any.

Overall, it wasn't the best brunch I've had in New York. I give it some points for being different than the standard and some more points for having outdoor space but I'm not rushing back there. Dinner might be a different story, but if you're heading towards Tenth Avenue, I would go to Cookshop instead.

My new BFF Ralph

The best part about having a long weekend is not only do you get a three day weekend, but you also get a short work week! It's already Thursday and my weekend plans are underway. But I can't forget the great Memorial Day staycation I had just a few days ago. I ventured out to New Jersey for one day and Long Island the next for some sun, food and drinks. The hospitality was amazing - I could have closed my eyes and imagined I was back home in the South.

My trips weren't complete without a trip to Ralph's Ices. I think people who grew up living down the street from them take it for granted, because I am obsessed with this place! Any time I'm outside the city I try my hardest to get driven to a Ralph's and my friends and I even made a special trip to Brooklyn last summer.

Ralph's is a standard water ice establishment with the normal fruity shaved ices that you find "down the shore" and other beach towns. But they also have amazing creme ices (that do contain dairy) that are out of this world. Flavors like rainbow cookie, mint chocolate chip, chunky monkey and of course peanut butter and chocolate. I love it because it's not as heavy and rich as ice cream but the taste is just as good.

Saturday I changed my normal routine of getting two creamy flavors and got half peanut butter chocolate and half watermelon. It was a hot day and perfect for the ride back into the steamy city. The worst part about Ralph's is that it's only open in the summer and they only have locations in New Jersey, Staten Island, Queens and Long Island. Me being a New Yorker without a car makes it hard to get my Ralph's quota before the summer ends.

Hopefully I'll be getting some Ralph's this weekend again if a trip out to Long Island occurs and I will be a happy camper.