My Summer in New York

I got back to California last week after 3 amazing months in New York interning for a casting company. While there, I was able to hang out with my best friend on an almost daily basis, explore the city with friends from school upon their move out there to do the actor thing, and, obviously, eat amazing food.

Because I have now lived in New York for an entire season, I think it's safe to say: the number of amazing restaurants in New York is incredible. I think there are somewhere around 48,000 restaurants. Hearing that statistic, my jaw dropped while making me really excited to continue exploring New York even more once I'm there for good.

The below restaurants are more of a summary of some of the best restaurants I ate at. These all had some sort of special occasion around it like having friends in town, parents in town, or birthdays. List is short, passion and love for these new finds is anything but.

While my parents were visiting with my sister and doing the college tour thing, we ate at Felidia on Saturday night and Perilla with my best friend in tow on Sunday night. Both were incredible, though I think I slightly favored Perilla.

Felidia, owned by Food Network's own Felidia Bastianich, was a truly gluttonous meal. We ordered 4 of every course (one for each of us) but ate almost everything family style. 4 salads, 4 pasta dishes, 4 desserts later, we were stuffed and waddled our way back to their hotel. We literally couldn't finish everything there was so much food (my family likes to order a lot and try everything, but many of the main courses, particularly the pasta, can be split because it's A LOT). Some of the highlights of the meal included wine from Lidia's own winery in Italy (which is both good and bad since they really do push her wines) and the coffee truffle risotto, a special for the night. The risotto was really interesting, and just confirmed that though I am a foodie, my palate is not quite up to par with the elite food community. I think truffles taste like dirt. Seriously. This risotto was no acception. I think my dad was the only one in the family to like it (it's been two months so my memory isn't as vivid as it could be). Overall, the meal was an adventure somewhere in the same vein as Babbo (just realized Babbo has NOT been addressed in my blog yet...see below) though not quite as out there. Definitely a keeper if you're looking for a nice Italian meal that isn't your typical Little Italy fare.

Felidia

243 Est 58th Street

New York, NY

Perilla, on the other hand, was so much fun. The items of the menu were some of the most creative I've ever seen and the price tag on everything isn't atrocious. Perilla is probably best described as American fare with inspiration from all over the world. To start off the meal, they have some really great cocktails, but the absolute highlight of the night (I'm skipping straight to main courses) was the farro risotto (uhh...can you tell we like risotto in my family?). Literally, if you gave me a popcorn bucket of this stuff I would be scraping the bottom of the barrel within an hour it was that good. Another great side was the creamed corn...never a bad idea. One of the more quirky items on the menu was popcorn popped in duck fat. The dish my dad got had this on the side, otherwise we would have ordered off the bar menu just to try it. They were good. Interesting, rich and delicious. Dessert was a collection of 5 desserts (BFF was with us, and while she's not a dessert person, if she wants to eat out with our family we make her order dessert...I think she's becoming a dessert advocate finally) the star being the souffle (a special that night) and the raspberry jelly doughnuts. No one in our family is much for doughnuts, but these were fresh...and pretty darn amazing. My mom ate one and went back for a second one, ending her doughnut fast of 20 years they were so good.

Perilla

9 Jones Street

New York, NY

One of my good friends Blaire popped into New York for a night before heading upstate for summer stock. She knew one of the hostesses at Mexicana Mama Centro just south of Union Square and wanted to say hi so we wound up eating there too. Holy Mother of Mexican Food, this place is INCREDIBLE. After eating there with Blaire, I kept trying to nudge friends to eat there with me again and finally succeeded once my friend from home, Vince, came into town and he and BFF and I went to play catchup. Both times I ordered the Tostada de Ave which is the PERFECT size if you want a good size meal that's not Cheesecake Factory sized. In addition to that, chips, salsa (made fresh there!) and their daily margarita special (Cantaloupe the night Blaire and I went) you will leave more than full. For a really amazing Mexican place, the prices aren't too bad. My tostada is $10 and a burrito runs around $12.75 (not quite Chipotle priced, but WAY better!).

Mexicana Mama Centro

47 East 12th Street

New York, NY

BFF turned 22 my last weekend in town which allowed me to add two great locations (one not so much a restaurant) to my list. For dinner, we went to Via Della Pace on the Lower East Side for some killer Italian with a really laid back staff. When scouting out the place, they had no problem making a reservation for 30, reserving their whole wine celler for the 30 of us, prepping the cakes we bought, and just allowing for a great evening for all in attendance. The bruschetta list is about a page long and while I was trying out the vegetarian thing that week and opted for your standard bruschetta, they had some amazing looking kinds with goat cheese, meats of all sorts, you name it. My main course was pasta and while this wasn't anywhere near as adventurous as Felidia's it was cozy and homey. I got the ravioli di carciofi...raviloli with asparagus and parmesan inside in a sage sauce with sun dried tomatos. What's not to love about all of that? Oh, and if you go, get the red sangria. Epic.

Post dinner we went to a dive bar then do a club, Arlo & Esme which is a bar upstairs and a club downstairs. Cover charge was $5, which is nothing compared to some of the other clubs in Manhattan and this place is so much fun. By the end of the night, the music was a little to loud (my ears were bleeding for like 2 days afterwards) but I wasn't sure if it was sobriety rapidly arriving, fatigue setting in, or the DJ being a jerk. Regardless, it was a blast. If you want a really great show at the end of the night, make sure you're one of the first people out of the club when they kick everyone out and watch all the sloshed girls in 4" heels panic as they realize they have to descend 2 steps to get to the sidewalk once they're out the door. This is me being totally candid right now, but a guilty pleasure of mine is observing the trashed of the trashed.

Via Della Pace

48 East 7th Street

New York, NY

Arlo & Esme

42 East 1st Street

New York, NY

Right, so back to food...

CUPCAKES! I am so into this cupcake thing (really great blog entry about cupcakes and why cupcake bakeries are so amazing here). I've had them all: Crumbs, Sprinkles, you name it. But Pinisi's cupcakes top everything. Hands down. We're talking red velvet to die for, almond cake with chocolate ganache, and my FAVORITE: lavender with cream cheese frosting. Can we pause for a minute while I drool at the thought of one? My friend Jeremy was with my when BFF took my Pinisi virginity and had brilliant idea: twist off the bottom of the cupcake and put it on top of the frosting. Cupcake sandwich! Brilliant! Much less messy. :)

Pinisi

128 East 4th Street

New York, NY

I seriously cannot believe I haven't brought up Babbo yet. It's right off of Washington Square, and my family has eaten there twice now. Once with a good friend's family upon moving her into college and once with just the family. This is one of Mario Batali's restaurants and it provides some very, very adventurous Italian food. We're talking lamb's brain in your pasta, beef cheeks, and beef tongue, but there are absolutely more normal sounding dishes here. If you want to eat at Babbo, you have to call one month ahead of time by the date otherwise, I wish you the best of luck in getting in when you want. Seriously, call when they open or you won't get a table. This restaurant is on the pricier end of things, but if it's a night to celebrate all things Italian and creative, drink wine, and leave with food baby twins definitely put this on your list. The Mint Love Letters and the Sweet Potato Luna raviolis are my absolute favorite. My family actually bought the cookbook and made these last winter break because we missed them so much. Order a handful of dishes to share because they're so rich. That makes it more fun to taste thing anyways. :) They also have this side that is grilled corn or something. Get that too. You'll want a whole plate to yourself. But be nice and share.

Babbo

110 Waverly Place

New York, NY

And while we're on the Batali note: Po, another restaurant of his in the West Village, is great too and much more afordable. This is much less adventurous than Babbo, but much easier to get a reservation.

Po

31 Cornelia Street

New York, NY

Now for three bars. One more club, one wine bar, and one classy dive bar if you can even call it a dive. No, it's not a dive. It's just amazing.

Happy Endings was the location of a birthday party for a friend of mine. It's way down on the Lower East Side and when we got there, the awning said Xie He Health Club and we all went, "Uhh...where are we GOING? A health club with bouncers? This is bizarre." It was great fun though and incredible use of space. They took an old health club and made it into a bar/club/lounge. We had a private area for the birthday party and it was in an old steam room. No joke. So much fun. The DJs were great and the bartenders were super nice. I'm personally not one for crazy clubs (Note: Arlo and Esme was nuts, but fun because we had such a close group dancing together) and Happy Endings was great before about 1AM when the huge crowds started rolling in. That's just me, though. If you like dancing with an outrageous amount of people, 1AM is the time to arrive.

Happy Ending Lounge

302 Broome Street

New York, NY

Lastly (though I may very well add to this list in a week when I remember more), Sweet Afton in Astoria is a darling little bar off of 30th Ave. The wood walls make it super cozy and the drinks are well designed. I've heard the food there is good, though haven't personally experienced it. If you like pickles (I don't, but you might) they have a pickle juice cocktail that I've heard is quite fun.

Sweet Afton

3009 34th Street

Astoria, NY

Lastly, a wine bar I fell in love with despite some really interesting company that night. Ha. Aria is located down in the West Village and boasts a wine list of solely female vintners. Huzzah for that. But aside from loving that little tid-bit, the atmosphere is quite lovely. Wine glasses are only $6-$8 and they have a large table that is great for groups or to make friends with your neighbors. I believe they close at midnight or so, but if you're there before closing and just keep the place alive late into the night you might be treated with some bar food like meatballs (delish ones at that) while the staff closing up shop. ;)

Aria

117 Perry Street

New York, NY

That is all for now. I'm sure I'll add some more within the next week or so granted I have time between moving back to school, auditions, crew meetings, and class.

Happy eating!

New York...Updated

Just got back from a short little stint in New York packed with interviews, shows, and, of course, food. Two great new places for meals, both down in the East Village are Veselka and Atlas Cafe. Also hit up a great place for unexpected desserts: Momofuku.

Veselka was featured in Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist. It's open 24 hours a day, which means you can get your fix of amazing Ukrainian dumplings, salad, soup, burgers, or rice crispy treats the size of your face. Seriously, I kept skirting the recommendations of this place cause I though, "Meh...I'm not really a Ukrainian food person," but when a few friends of mine nudged me to go with them I was excited they had gotten me to go. I got honey and port braised short rib pirogues (Ukrainian dumplings) and sweet potato fries. So, so good. My friends got the potato pirogues (with a little bit of cheese to add flavor) and sauerkraut and mushroom pirogues. Much to my surprise as one who's not too keen on sauerkraut or mushrooms, the latter weren't too bad. While we were leaving, we all got a cocoa puff treat (a rice crispy treat with cocoa puffs, chocolate chips, and marshmallow chunks) to split. It was all so good and definitely a place I'll be hitting up when I'm down there late at night and get the munchies.

Veselka

144 2nd Ave.

New York, NY 10003

My last afternoon there, I got lunch with a friend at NYU at Atlas Cafe (also down in the East Village). I'm usually not one to get overwhelmed by restaurants, but the size of this menu is incredible. The walls on both sides of this hole in the wall cafe are covered in omnivore, vegetarian, and vegan options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as coffee, smoothies, and shakes. I got an omelette with chicken, sun dried tomatoes, pepper jack, a bagel, and salad. It was an awesome way to leave the city. The one thing I was unimpressed by was my chai tea latte. It was really watery. Stick to the food. Also, while I didn't get any dessert, the friends I went to Veselka with said Atlas has great desserts too!

Atlas Cafe

73 2nd Ave.

New York, NY 10003

Lastly, I had some great, out of this world dessert at Momofuku Milk Bar (also in the East Village...I was under the impression I hadn't spent much time down there this trip...guess I was wrong. Haha). It's a little place attached to a much larger restaurant. The Milk Bar has a very avant guard take on dessert flavors. I got a cookie with chocolate chips, cornflakes, and marshmallows. I also tried the cereal milk soft serve, which is probably one of the most bizarre things I've ever tried (up there with guacamole flavored tortilla chips). It's a texture thing...I just wasn't about it. But lots of fun in concept, and the cookie was awesome. To try next time (if I'm feeling gutsy): the compost cookie--pretzels, potato chips, coffee, oats, butterscotch, and chocolate chips. I mean...it's on their menu and teh cookie is trademarked...it's gotta be good, right?

Momofuku Milk Bar

207 2nd. Ave.

New York, NY 10003

New York Again

It's been a while, but since my last post, I've spent a week and a half in New York City. While there my best friend and I did lots of wandering of the city, allowing us to explore and discover new restaurants in territory we had yet to delve into.

A good cheap eatery we found is on the Upper West Side: Soom Soom. They have amazing falafel. You order either a salad or a pita with falafel in it, then get to pick and choose from their open salad bar of pre-made Israeli salads. I cannot tell you the names of any of them, but they're AWESOME. I actually went twice while in town. I prefer the salad to the pita because the salad makes you feel so good. All veggies and chickpeas.

Soom Soom

166 W. 72nd St.

New York, NY

Another place my family and I discovered when they joined up with me for Labor Day weekend is Maya. It is a really, really nice Mexican restaurant on the Upper East Side with, hands down, the best Mexican I've ever had. Their chicken with mole is to die for. Guacamole is made fresh for you on the floor. I had their chicken enchiladas which were pretty tasty. We also got corn pudding and plantains on the side. Deelish. We were stuffed and going to get gelato after a show later that night, so we took a look at the dessert menu but didn't order anything. Were we to order, we would have gotten the chocolate tarte with cinnamon ice cream. Then our waiter surprised us with one, not knowing that that is what we were eyeing. Needless to say, he got a big tip. Haha. To our surprise, we also found out that there is a Maya in San Francisco (Yippee!) so we can go when we're at home to. Chevy's no more. We're converts.

Maya

1191 First Ave.

New York, NY

or for the West Coasters:

Maya

303 2nd. Street

San Francisco, CA

Lastly, my best friend and I were treated to some gelato by some family friends of hers that we were crashing with for part of my stay. It's called Screme and it is definitely not wallet friendly but SO worth it. With a small starting at $5, it may steer many away, but believe me, if you walk through the doors and start tasting (employees are required to give as many free samples as you want) you'll want to order a large (which, if you're wondering, will set you back $9...but it's practically a pint when they pile it all on, and it's totally worth it). The two Manhattan stores have 5,000 flavors that they cycle through from pear sorbet to Captain Crunch or Fig Tequila gelato. The flavor intensities are awesome (though the sorbets slightly less so). There is one location on the Upper West Side, and the other is in the lobby of Madame Tussauds in Times Square.

Screme Gelato

2030 Broadway

New York, NY

Screme Gelato

234 W. 42nd St.

New York, NY

New York Favorites

Here's a list of some restaurants I fell in love with during my month in New York this spring:

BREAKFAST

Alice's Tea Cup

156 E. 54th

102 W. 73rd

220 E. 81st

Three different locations, this small chain features adorable, hole-in-the-wall tea houses. You can get a pot of tea and scones for two for just $10 in the morning. I prefer to stop in for tea and a scone to go, followed by a walk through Central Park.

Sarabeth's

423 Amsterdam Ave. #1

Though there are many other locations, including Central Park South, I am partial to this one because it was the location of my first Sarabeth's experience. This place has the most incredible brunch. There can be a wait for a table, but it is beyond worth it!

LUNCH

Lombardi's

32 Spring St.

Open since 1905, Lombardi's is America's first pizzeria. Though I haven't yet been there, some good friends ate there on my recommendation and loved it. I'm waiting to go back this fall to hopefully get to try it!

Cafe Tasia

38 E. 8th

Located between Union and Washington Squares, this Thai restaurant is a great bargain on Sunday afternoons. They have a prix-fix menu where you pick how many dishes you want, then pick whatever you want to eat. 3 courses can be under $10.

S'Mac

345 E. 12th

This restaurant sells one thing and one thing only: macaroni and cheese. You can make your own or pick from their menu of suggested combos. My favorite is the Cajun.

Peanut Butter & Co.

240 Sullivan St.

Just off of Washington Square, this restaurant (owned by the owners of S'Mac) features the American standard with a slew of twists.

Friend of a Farmer

77 Irving Pl.

This homey restaurant east of Union Square is a great place for a weekend meal. Their cornbread and apple butter are incredible. Ask for a table upstairs by the fireplace!

DINNER

John's Pizza

278 Bleeker St.

This is supposed to be one of the best pizza joints in NYC, though I have yet to experience it. My best friend, an NYU student, has agreed with this statement many times.

Blockheads Burritos

322 W. 50th

This restaurant, just off of Times Square, has great margaritas for just $3. I have yet to experience this, but everyone from my program raved about it!

Vinyl

754 9th Ave.

This location, of four, is a trendy spot that features an Asian/American fusion menu. They have everything from pad thai to pot pie. Their pomegranate margaritas are incredible: big and strong. Splitting one might be a better option.

Republic

37 Union Square West

Once again, my love of Thai food speaks. This came to me as a recommendation from my mom last September and I have now eaten there twice. It is fantastic. Not the cheapest of restaurants, but delicious and so worth it.

Grimalidi's Pizzeria

19 Old Fulton St.

Brooklyn

Once again, I have yet to try it but this is supposed to be the absolute best pizza you can get in the New York Metropolitan Area (come to think of it, I've yet to have good pizza in New York...maybe it's because I like mine deep dish, Chicago style...but anywho).

Dovetail

103 W. 77th

This is my absolute favorite restaurant in all of New York. They have great cocktails and amazing California food (...I'm from California...what can I say, I'm partial). This is definitely a place for a nicer evening out, but a restaurant I hope to make one of my regular spots every time I visit Manhattan.

SWEET SNACKS

Rice to Riches

37 Spring Street

If you like rice pudding, you'll love this rice pudding parlor. It's not the cheapest of treats (an order of rice pudding can put you back almost $10...and that's on the smaller side of things) but so much fun. I'm not a huge rice pudding person, and I love this place. Just be careful not to order too much. This stuff is rich and you won't get through very much before wanting to put it down.

Milk & Cookies

270 Bleeker St.

This place is great: ice cream sandwiches made while you wait. They have a huge assortment of cookies with four or so ice cream flavors to pick from. A great treat if you're down in the area.

Magnolia Bakery

401 Bleeker St.

This is the original location of the bakery (and the one featured on Sex and the City) but they've sprouted up around town. Magnolia is known for their rich, smooth cupcakes. If you come to the Bleeker location, be prepared to wait in line. The NYU kids are regulars at this spot.

Max Brenner

841 Broadway between 13th and 14th

This place is awesome...if you love chocolate. And you better if you're going to come here. They have an extravagant menu of alcoholic and non-alcoholic chocolate drinks, fondues, cakes, cookies, and so on. They have regular food too (I got a burger with fries...sprinkled in cocoa powder) but their desserts are what they're known for.

Levain Bakery

167 W. 74th

This place is famous for their giant, half-pound cookies. These masterpieces are dense, delicious, and still warm out of the oven every time you buy them. If you're not too keen on the sugar overload, they have scones, bread, mini-pizzas, and coffee as well.

Crumbs Bakery

321 1/2 Amsterdam Ave.

There are a ton of these around the city, but this is the original. They have a huge array of cupcakes including Elvis (peanut butter and banana) and Cosmopolitan (in honor of the Sex and the City film release). They are awesome.

BARS

Divine Bar West

236 W. 54th

This is just north of Times Square, so it's a little pricey, but their white chocolate berad pudding is to die for and they have some fun mixed drinks. Beware, though, this is a wine bar, not a bar, so unless it's on the menu or really classic, they probably aren't equipped to make it.

Vintage

753 9th Ave.

In the heart of Hell's Kitchen, this bar has the biggest martini menu you'll probably ever see. Selections include oatmeal cookie and birthday cake martinis.

The Snug

751 9th Ave.

Right next door to Vintage, this joint has great happy hours and hot bartenders.

Cosmic Cantina

105 3rd Ave.

This place is a load of fun. Black lights, neon paint, and all organic products. In front, you can get your typical cantina food, but if you head into the back, the bar has some great, freshly made organic cocktails. Be nice to the bartender, Dan, and he'll be nice back (actually, he'll be nice regardless). And if you go, tell him I say "Hi!"

Birdland

315 w. 44th

Just off of Times Square, this jazz cabaret is know for hosting famous New York performers and writers. Check out who is performing while you're in town and plan on stopping in once during your stay!

So that's my lowdown. I'm sure I'll be able to add to this list every time I head out there, and even more when I eventually make the big move!

Alas...I need to head to bed. I have an Econ midterm in the morning. Hopefully it won't be too bad. My math brain has grasped supply and demand, trade, and elasticity pretty well so far...