ZZ’s Top Cocktails
Tucked away behind a huge wooden door on Thompson Street is an unassuming and lively joint called ZZ’s Clam Bar. Being one of the few Manhattanites that opted to stay in the city on Labor Day weekend, I was lucky enough to snag a coveted resy last night at their tiny twelve seater restaurant that feels more like a exclusive Havana speakeasy. For a few hours I was on an exotic vacation inside the concrete jungle. Read Post
Back to Boons
Last night I went to Thailand for $56.47. Well not quite, but my third visit to Uncle Boon’s sure felt like being teleported across the globe and into the kitchen of someone’s hip Thai grandma.
From the quirky action movie posters on the wood paneled walls to the lively Thai renditions of James Brown classics like I Feel Good, Uncle Boons delivers an experience like no other.
Ladies Who Breakfast
Magical. That is the most fitting word to describe the walk through the garden along the cobblestone lined path to River Cafe in Brooklyn. Through the front door I was transported into an enchanting and fragrant room filled floor to ceiling with roses, lilies and arrangements that make a lavish wedding look sparse. To the left, a charming formal dining room leads the way to the outdoor patio seating. Starting my morning off with a power breakfast under the Brooklyn Bridge was quite an escape from the typical morning routine.
I decided to begin the day with a Michelin star for breakfast and catch up with my good friend Laura who I hadn’t seen in months. I enjoyed a dinner at River Cafe about ten years ago and decided to try a different meal there this time around. For us the setting couldn’t have been more ideal and the food? Pssh. An out of this world way to consume the most important meal of the day. Since there were too many menu items we wanted to try, we opted for the breakfast tasting menu. Facing a magnificent view of Manhattan, we sipped our lattes and enjoyed smoked salmon toasts, warm chocolate croissants, savory waffle eggs benedict and tomatillo spiced avocado toast with a soft boiled egg on top. To top off our feast, Javier our server delivered an adorable chocolate replica of the Brooklyn Bridge on a rich chocolate mousse. The experience was so fabulously New York that Laura and I have decided to meet there once a month for a pre-work power breakfast. We both agreed it is well worth the splurge and a fine tradition to start. Ladies who breakfast.
Top Ten Awards
When I first began the Star Crawl journey a couple of months ago, I never imagined hitting the halfway mark so quickly. I have gotten a lot of questions along the way, but one I get most is “Which restaurant is your favorite?” Since this question is nearly impossible to answer, I have decided to pause at the fifty yard line and reminisce all of the decadent bites. I have made a list of top ten favorite dishes. This was no easy feat, but I present to you the first ever Star Crawl Awards. Drumroll please…
Orange Is The New Snack
When visiting Michelin star restaurants, servers always ask “are there any dietary restrictions?” to which I always reply, “sea urchin.” Its not that I’m allergic to our spiny little sea friends, I just really don’t like the mealy texture and taste. However, in an effort to fully challenge my palette on the crawl I hesitantly requested sea urchin for my second course at Jungsik on Monday night. After all, it is one of their signature dishes and is their homepage image on their website.
Star Hacks
With 72 Michelin starred restaurants in NYC, a bit of creativity is required along The Star Crawl for me to avoid breaking the bank. Fortunately I have uncovered affordable “star hacks” at many of the restaurants to make the quest a tad easier on the wallet.
A Star Crawl Is Born
My fascination with Michelin star restaurants began in 2010, when my roommate’s parents took a group of us twenty-somethings to Adour, an Alain Ducasse restaurant in the St. Regis Hotel. It was a far cry from the ramen noodles that had been sustaining me for the past few months and I knew food would never be the same for me.