Spina - Riesling Wine Tasting Dinner

J and I are back once again. I feel like we give a lot of love to Spina.

Riesling is my favorite type of white wine and once I knew that Spina was going to do a tasting menu with this specific type of wine, I immediately checked my email every day to see when they might host this event.
I made the reservation right away when I knew the date. The manager of Spina remembered J and I, excellent memory and customer service.

J got a tattoo for the event. Hahahaa
Actually, the manager, Matthew, gave us a temporary tattoo so we can be in the "spirit." I have to say, it was a pretty nice tattoo there.

There were 4 dishes on the menu, each paired with a Riesling that was carefully selected by Matthew.

First was the Tuna Tartare, I absolutely love this dish. J and I really enjoy anything tartare and this was one of the better ones. There was a sweetness to the dressing and the pepper flakes on top really balanced out the entire dish. The chips were a plus, wish there was more!

The next dish was a more refreshing, a nice palate cleanser. The Watermelon & Ricotta Salata Salad was really light. Watermelon was sweet which balanced the bitterness of the arugula, the brined watermelon rinds was really appetizing, a little sweet, a little bitter, a little sour...perfection.

Ricotta Cavatelli reminded me of gnocchi. Ever since I had the gnocchi at Spina at the last visit, I just couldn't stop thinking about it. This was so similar in texture but made with ricotta cheese. So delicious! The pasta was dressed with some fennel sausage and broccoli rabe, excellent texture and taste.

The last dish of the tasting menu was the Oven Roasted Chicken. It was over a bed of fregola and corn, lovely texture. The chicken was very moist with a nice crisp skin, that doesn't happen often when you roast chicken. Also seasoned really well, a great dish to end the meal with.

But we didn't exactly end at that, which we should've.

Tiramisu was a bit dry, too much cocoa powder on top. Definitely should pass on this.

Otherwise, the entire meal at Spina was ever so perfect. I'm actually looking forward to their red wine tasting menu if they're thinking of having one...I should probably email Matthew...

Spina
175 Ave B
New York, NY 10009
(212) 253-2250 

Thalia Restaurant - how can you say no to such cheap aphrodisiacs

J and I always have a hard time deciding where to eat, and we get annoyed and upset at each other about it but we get over it quick. This time, we ended up at Thalia's. Apparently they have HH $1 oysters after 7pm, unlike other places which ends at that time.

Thalia was big, there were couches for the lounge-y feeling, high tables for the sophisticated and regular dining tables for the romantic. We came without a reservation, waited for about 15 minutes for a table which was understandable.

Started out with a pitcher of Rose Sangria, it was more fruity than anything else and the Rose tasted really light. I also don't like how the ice melted so quickly making the drink a lot more watery than it should be.

Some bread and olive oil was served. J liked the foccacia but I barely had any since I wasn't a big fan of this type of olive oil.

We didn't order too much food because the waiter advised that we already had a lot of food already. It's nice when the waiter can judge the amount of food and tell if it would be too much or too little. Plus, in the end he was right.

The HH $1 oysters was really good. They were a decent size and each one packed with meat. I also ordered half a dozen of clams, J doesn't like it as much as I do but these were a bit briney and fishy...definitely could've passed. I really wanted another round of oysters but held myself back from ordering.

It took a while for our next dish to come which made the oysters set into the stomach and made us pretty glad we didn't order another round. The Fried Sweetbreads, special of the night, was amazing. The vinegar glaze went so well with the delicately fried sweetbreads, along with the watercress and onions, it was a match-made in heaven. For those that don't know what sweetbreads are, it's the throat or pancreas of a calf or lamb. In this case, it's the "throat" of a calf...taste very similar to the consistency of brain, it has that mushy feeling.

So at this point, we were at the brim of being full because the entree took a looong time to come.

The Filet Mignon w/ pork reduction, fingerling potatoes and broccoli rabe was quite impeccable. The steak was encrusted with a layer of dried cranberries and what seems to taste like breadcrumbs. But anyways, it was really good and cooked nicely to a medium rare which we ordered.

After such a satisfying meal, there was no room left for dessert. I'd love to come back just so I can have endless amounts of oysters. Next time, I'll stick to glasses of wine rather than the sangrias...

Thalia Restaurant
828 8th Ave
New York, NY 10019
(212) 399-4444 

Munchies Cafe - something to cool down with during the heatwave

Munchies Cafe (MC) is fairly new, a nice addition to Brooklyn. The little cafe is really bright with summer colors, but the one thing that probably draws the most attention would be their touch screen computer monitors. Each table of 4, has a computer monitor that is connected to the internet, smaller tables don't have this feature. You can use it like your regular laptop/computer, watch anything on it and do whatever you please.

Their menu is pretty big, anything ranging from drinks, desserts, and savory foods.

J and I just wanted to relax and get away from the heat a bit. We ordered a drink and dessert each.

I had a regular Green Tea w/ Honey while J had a Strawberry Green Tea. I thought mine was way too sweetie, too much honey in there (I actually think it's some sweet syrup other than honey).

J had the Mario Brothers Snowy Mix Fruit. He chose watermelon as his fruit and coconut and red bean ice cream, all swimming in a sweet milky broth. Not bad, but it was definitely filling and there was a lot in there.

I had the Mango and Papaya Snowy Mix Fruit with green tea ice cream and mango pudding. They definitely pureed the mango and papaya to use as the "broth" base. It tasted very smoothie-like and so many fruits and pudding...

In all, I'm not too crazy about this place. It's nice to hang out and chill but the food just didn't wow me. I would come back for a drink and just chat.

Munchies Cafe
12 Bay 25th St
Brooklyn, NY 11214
(718) 333-1088

Brennan & Carr - a special independence day in the heat

This year's July 4th was insanely hot, like temperature hot, like I want to dance naked in the street hot. J and I wanted to go to the beach but you see, we woke up late...actually, we woke up around 8 and was like let's sleep a little more and rolled over and passed out. The next thing we knew, it was already 11 and we had to sluggishly push ourselves up and get ready. So, by the time we got in the car and headed off to the beach, there was a long line just for parking...we turned around and drove off.

Needing something in our stomach, more like J's stomach since I already had steak for lunch haha

Brennan & Carr was on our list for a while, because of their roast beef sandwich. The place looked like a little cabin, gave me the cute vibe.

The Onion Rings were ok, had too much batter going on there and just a small amount of onion in the center. Plus, it was like hard-crunchy not fresh good crunchy. Need to go get my fix on onion rings now since this didn't cut it.

The menu wasn't big, but there were different variety of things. Everyone there ordered the clam chowder and what seems like iced tea, must be really good...must order next time.

J ordered this massive sandwich which he inhaled in like 5 seconds. The Gargiulo Burger obviously appealed to J because of the beef patty, roast beef, cheese, and onions, plus it was dipped into this heavenly beef broth. It was good but also really meaty and heavy.

I had a regular Roast Beef Sandwich with cheese, didn't want onions this time. Very simple and quite excellent. Mine was dipped also, makes it less dry and a lot easier to eat. I wished I had the appetite to finish it but the steak that was sitting in my stomach earlier was fighting me. J ended up finishing my half sandwich, fatty!

The atmosphere was really laid back and the staff there were nice. Looks like they came out of a 1970s movie, cool eh?

Brennan & Carr
3432 Nostrand Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11229
(718) 769-1254

Xi'an Famous Foods - East Village

To my knowledge, this is the third time J and I revisited Xi'an. We finally ordered the spicy dishes which they are known for this time around, the first 2 times we didn't because we knew we weren't able to handle the spiciness. Finally, the hard training days of eating spicy food paid off and we can enjoy it! Love spicy food now!

We were lucky to find seats inside this small and cramp spot. Xi'an has other branches but this is the original and we always see ourselves coming back to this same spot. I love how each dish has a letter and number that corresponds to it. You don't have to read the longass name, just say A1 or N1 or whatever it is, makes the ordering process a lot easier and faster.

Feels like cafeteria Asian style kind of eating. If you order dry noodles they give you a plate and if you order noodle soup, they give you a bowl. The day was too hot for soup noodles so we stuck to non-soupie dishes, didn't help much since it was spicy.

I wanted something cold for before thinking I told J to get me a Stir Fried Cold Skin Noodle. It soon hit me that stir fried means it's going to be hot and not cold...dammit! Nonetheless, it was delicious and addicting. Stir fried rice noodles with bean sprouts and gluten which is amazing, got a little tang to it but certainly yummy!

J had the Spicy Cumin Lamb Hand-Ripped Noodles. The noodles were swimming in a pool of hot sauce, a lot less spicier than mine. I really like the texture of the noodles in the hot sauce and the pieces just add enough meaty-ness to it all. I want to slurp his entire plate!

To end it all, we had the Spicy Cumin Lamb Burger. Very similar to J's noodles but a bit more on the dry side. Eating the burger this time was a lot messier than the first couple of times  because the juices were oozing everywhere. I think I still like the pork burger better.

There's very limited seats at this Xi'an location but the cool thing we found out is that if you order food from Xi'an, there are a couple of places near the area that let you sit in their restaurant/shop if you buy a drink from them. How awesome is that?!

Xi'an Famous Food
81 St Marks Pl
New York, NY 10003
(212) 786-2068

Lunchin' @ Mulberry Meat Market

The past year or so I've been ordering my lunch from the Mulberry Meat Market because it's cheap and delicious.

It's a meat market which you can buy all sorts of raw meat and have it cook at home or you can look at your left hand side when you walk in, everything is already cooked and made for you. They have 2 sides and rice for $3.25 or with 3 sides add an additional 50 cents. They also have a lot of roast meats and barbeque meats also. Everything is priced at an affordable rate. I usually get their Roast Pork over Rice which is only $3.75 and they even give you vegetables.

Their Soy Sauce Chicken over Rice is amazing also, dark or white meat, the price is still at $4.50 a box. Extremely filling and pleasantly to look at also!

The chicken is moist and tender, the flavor of the soy sauce is soaked into the chicken skin which makes it packed with flavor. I really enjoy the ginger and scallion sauce they layer on top of the chicken, you need that sauce for a more authentic Chinese meal.

There is really only a few places that gives you vegetables with your rice box without the extra cost. I need my meat and veggies with my dish so this is why Mulberry Meat Market won me over.

If you want cheap roast meats that delivers in taste also, this is the spot to hit up. It's basically in the center of Chinatown and very conveniently close to Canal Street where all the tourist roams around.

Mulberry Meat Market
89 Mulberry St
New York, NY 10013
(212) 267-0350

Macbar

Cute containers with mac and cheese, yes please!

I've grown to really like mac and cheese thanks to J. The last time I had mac and cheese at a specialized shop, I was really impressed and really liked it. That's why when we found out about Macbar, we were pretty excited.

I came to order take-out, probably not the smartest thing to do but mac and cheese is one of the type of food that should taste great even when it's cold, or if it's too cold we can pop it in the oven.

I placed my order of 2 medium size mac and cheese because with the medium or large size, they put it in this macaroni shaped tupperware, how awesome is that?! The wait took about 15 minutes which I suppose was a decent time since they had to cook my mac and cheese in the oven...

A ginormous macaroni tupperware. It was extremely yellow...
Bad thing is that the container doesn't close correctly therefore it's considered useless...

It also came with these funky yellow utensils. Pretty cute. Once you snap them apart, you can't put them back together like they use to...this is getting lame.

J asked me to get him the Mac 'Shroom and I did! Doesn't it look delicious? It might also taste a lot better if we had it on the spot. I liked how there were chunks of mushrooms but wished there were more cheese.

My Mac Lobsta' was a real disappointment, I mean I know not to expect a lot of lobster but still, I paid a good amount of money for this so I should at least get more than 5 mini pieces of lobster! Again, this lack cheese. I see a lot of cheese on top but like none inside where it belongs.

The medium size is quite small which I feel like I'm getting ripped off here. Most likely not returning since neither of the mac and cheese wow-ed me and these two were supposedly their best...

Macbar
54 Prince St
New York, NY 10012
(212) 226-8877

Bubble Me: Teariffic

It's funny how I never ordered the Bubble Milk Tea here. I've been to Teariffic so many times and it just never cross my mind to order it because they just have so many other great drinks.

I had mine ordered to-go. The service was pretty fast and the person behind the register asked if I needed a bag, how nice. The price for this was $3.20, odd price. If you had it to stay, it would've been $2.95 not including tax, so after tax it came out to that weird price. Teariffic still had the old fashion dome lids for the BMT, a lot of places uses the vacuum seal lids instead now.

As for the taste of the BMT, it was really good. I can taste the tea which is what I look for nowadays when drinking this concoction. The drink was also shaken which gives it that frothy nice mixture and the frothy bubbles you see on the top of the cup. It was not overly sweetened which I appreciate since a lot of places make it way too sweet (hence they have the level of sweetness for you to choose from now). The tapioca balls were good also, chewy on the outside but still had that slight denseness in the center. With each bite, you can taste that they cooked the tapioca in a heavy sweet syrup which is why their milk tea isn't so sweet.

I enjoyed this BMT a lot and even went back the next day to get another one. The consistency and taste was the same the following day. Excellent.

Overall --
Service 4/5
Atmosphere 4/5
Taste 4.5/5
Likelihood to return is 100%

Teariffic

51 Mott Street
New York, NY 10013
(212) 393-9009

Knickerbocker Bar & Grill

Never would I thought of coming here. I past by it so many times when walking in the area but it wasn't one of those spots I would choose to eat at. There was nothing wrong with it, it's just I didn't see myself going inside and plus nothing appealed to me about it.

It just so happened that after a couple of drinks and the need for steak, J and I gave Knickerbocker a chance. It was weird knowing that I ate here on my birthday. A place I never would have went and yet I dined here on a day that is special to me.

Upon entering the restaurant, the maitre'd by the door was just lounging and leaning sluggishly against the table. He walked us to a table and it took about 10-15 minutes for a waitress to give us a menu. Any longer and I would've just left but I was hungry and I really wanted steak.

The waitress told us the specials of the night and which she also mentioned that they have the last order of skate and if we wanted it, we should order it ASAP. I had steak (of course!) and J decided on the skate...



It was a tad bit awkward 'cause the waitress asked us if we wanted bread and butter. Usually it would be just brought to us without question, I then started questioning myself if we're getting charged for bread... (which we didn't *phew*)

The butter was extremely good along with the cornbread. Whipped butter, yes please! The cornbread was really warm and one of the best I've had. Knickbocker probably isn't so bad afterall.

We ordered an appetizer to share because we were afraid the entrees would be of a large portion. The Grilled Octopus with Fingerling Potatoes was another amazing dish. I'm getting wow-ed by the moment. The octopus was nicely grilled and seasoned well. Although the potatoes were more on the salty side, I did wish there were other vegetables other than potatoes.

Our entree took a while to come out, starting to get unpatient. This is what happens when you're intoxicated with liquor and you go to a place which you didn't have positive feelings of.

My Bone in NY Shell Steak was satisfying. Obviously not the best steak I've had but it worked for me. I liked the steak sauce that was glazed on top of the steak, better for me because I was way too lazy to ask for any sauce and then having to dip it. It also came with mash potato gratin infused with truffle. More potatoes?! I wish it was mac and cheese instead...

J's dish was small. We looked at each other and had the "are you kidding" look. That's what happens when it's the last portion of the night. So lame. It was good but the fact that we feel we got jipped didn't make it taste any better. The Grilled Skate with bok choy and shitake mushroom ended the night with me feeling the same as before I ate here.

I wanted to like this place because the food were pretty to start with. But it just didn't live up to the expectation of a birthday girl. At least it was tried.

Knickbocker Bar & Grill
33 University Pl
New York, NY 10003
(212) 228-8490

Sake Bar Hagi

J and I decided to come early since we figured that the later it gets the harder it'll be to get a table here. The weather in NYC was in the 90s and it was extremely uncomfortable to be walking around outside. Given the chance that it opens, we're going inside right away. Half an hour into dinner service and the place was already packed.

Sake Bar Hagi, known for their bottles of sakes also have some good Japanese bar food. We took our time to order and tried to relax and enjoy ourselves.

A yuzu cocktail to cool myself down. We ordered sake and shoju also but they literally looked like water in a glass, nothing too special. They were definitely strong in taste. One bottle and I'm sure I'll be done for the night.

Fried Chicken Gizzard.
Love me some gizzard and I can't say no to fried food! The chewy tough texture of the gizzard is so addicting. Think of it has chewing a tough part of a chicken but breaks apart a lot easier. A little lemon and it's perfect.

Assorted yakitori. From top to bottom - duck, liver, chicken skin. Right side, top to bottom - pork belly and pork intestines. The duck was really good which I was surprised because I don't usually see duck skewers at a Japanese restaurant. Liver was really liver-y and iron-y, good thing there was only 4 pieces. The chicken skin and intestines tasted crunchy and oily. Pork belly was your average pork meat, nothing too special.

Grilled Mackerel.
Delicious grilled whole mackerel. Filled with meat but do look out for those tiny bones, they are so tricky to find!

Beef Tongue.
Beef tongue has a very similar consistency to chicken gizzard. If you slice up chicken gizzards as thin as beef tongue, I'm sure they taste very much alike.

Uni Sashimi.
J ordered this. I would never had the guts to order anything sashimi because I personally don't like it as much. One thing though, the uni was really fresh and they give a generous portion for the price. The fresh grated wasabi actually goes great with the uni because it counters the fishy-ness of it.

Sauteed Chicken Gizzard and Garlic Sprouts.
To end the night I figured we could use something that was sauteed. Plus, I wanted some greens since everything we ordered before seemed so unhealthy. And we needed a bit of munchy food to go with our sake and shoju.

Definitely a good Japanese bar. Since it's located in midtown the vibe that you get is more matured and laid back. It's loud but not as crazy loud as Kenka or Oh! Taisho in the East Village.

Sake Bar Hagi
152 W 49th St
New York, NY 10019
(212) 764-8549

Totto Ramen

I never would've thought I would come here so soon. I've heard about the long lines and writing your name on the clipboard and limited seats.

It was the 4th of July and I actually thought by going there around opening, the waiting wouldn't be as bad since I assume people would be either at the beach or barbequing. Boy, was I wrong. Apparently, Totto Ramen opened half an hour earlier and is closing early because it's the holiday. So must for planning this out. When J and I was walking there, we tried to out-walk some of the people that we were pretty sure were going there too just so we can put our names before theirs. Yea, pretty evil.

The wait took about 40 minutes and wasn't so bad. The weather was nice, we had shade and the people around us were pricks and snobs.

Their menu was small and to the point. Service was quick and efficient.

It's a small and tight place with about 20 seats or so. Majority of the seats are by the bar. I don't suggest bringing a big party here, maybe maximum 4 if you really want to but the best would be 1-2 people as it'll be easier and faster to be seated. At a place like this, you just don't bring large groups. I mean, it's a bowl of ramen that you can eat in less than 10 minutes so just ditch your friends for a couple of minutes, you won't die.

What would be better than quenching your thirst with Sapporo Premium beer. It's the real deal. Plus, it's not a small bottle from what the menu said, it looks like a regular size beer bottle to me. Liars!

Avo Tuna.
It's funny how J and I were thinking of the same thing. So glad we ordered this because it was so refreshing and a great appetizer. The tuna was lightly seared and placed over slices of avocado which were all dressed with yuzu garlic sauce. Man, I love yuzu! Now, I know for next time we're ordering a plate for ourselves.

Totto Spicy Ramen.
I would've gotten their regular ramen but since I know my tolerance for spicy food had gone up, I told myself that I would get this. So glad I did. The extra spicy oil gave the bowl of ramen the perfect kick. The broth was delicious. It was heavy to a point where I want to just clutch my stomach and go into a fetal position but instead, I see myself drinking the soup even at the end when all my noodles were gone. The char siu was decent, actual fatty pieces that was really juicy and soft. The extra scallions and bean sprouts was perfect with the ramen, I love different textures and taste when I eat my ramen. A heavenly bowl indeed.

I would love to come back for their bowl of excellency. Maybe when winter comes I'll be bold enough to get the extra spicy ramen.

Totto Ramen
366 W 52nd St
New York, NY 10019
(212) 582-0052 

Artichoke Basille's Pizza & Brewery

So, it was the day before July 4th and I got out early from work. Met up with J and had no idea where we're going. Somehow we arrived at Artichoke Pizza shop. I've heard about this place but never actually thought of going there. I mean, artichoke and pizza?

The slice of pizza was pretty big. I had to have it sliced in half so J and I can share it. The slice cost $4.50 which is a bit hefty on the price but it's a specialty pizza and I'm sure not a lot of places are able to pull a great tasting artichoke pizza.

The artichoke pizza was extremely creamy, more so than cheesy. I was hoping it was the other way around. The slice was quite thick and after heating it up, it was so crunchy. By the time you get to the crust, it's so hard and dry that you want to just toss it out.

The pizza was good. Nothing great. I wouldn't go out of my way to get it the second time around but it was definitely something different than your regular tomato and cheese pizza.

Artichoke Basille's Pizza & Brewery
328 E 14th St
New York, NY 10003
(212) 228-2004

Weekday Lunch: Bamiyan

Met up with J for lunch and he took me to an Afghan restaurant. I've never tried Afghan food before so I was not against it, actually I was a bit excited.

We got to the restaurant around 1:30 and there wasn't much people at all. We decided to sit on the cushioned sofa seats by the window to get the full experience. Note: you have to take off your shoes so if you don't feel comfortable with that then opt for the other tables.

We ended up getting the Special for 2 which consist of salad, bread, appetizer, and two entrees. Surely, we got that deal.

Afghan Salad

Very refreshing salad. It's a yogurt sauce with also a red sauce on top, taste delicious. The yogurt sauce is very much like ranch dressing.

Afghan Bread

I wish I had more! It's so soft and light. I used it to dip the salad dressing.

Sambusa Appetizer

It's very much like Indian samosa. We had the ground beef with chick peas. Very well flavored, the yogurt sauce was light and gave the Sambusa a moist surrounding.

Lowand Chalow

Chicken in a dill and tarragon sauce and a full plate of white basmati rice. I love the rice, so light and fluffy - pillow-y fluffy! I can eat this rice all day. The chicken in dill and tarragon is amazing also. It might look like curry but has absolutely no curry flavor at all. The chicken was moist on the outside but once you bite into it, it's pretty dry. I would've been happy with just the sauce.

Morgh Kabob

A really light dish. Cubes of chicken breast grilled with basmati rice. I seriously love this rice. Anyways, the chicken here is a bit bland but if you mix this chicken with the tarragon and dill sauce, it is truly perfect. By the way, I actually really like the onions with dishes like this... weird.

Overall, lovely restaurant that makes great food. Never thought Afghan food was this tasty and enjoyable. I'm definitely coming back!

Bamiyan
358 3rd Ave
New York, NY 10016
(212) 481-3232