Maison, French Brasserie located Midtown, NYC, New York

Maison is a brasserie located Midtown that is opened 24/7. Its decor is really impressive, between the high ceilings and the giant old ads. The place is of medium size, benefiting from the outside area that is perfect on a warm day.

It has ben a while I did not go there: at least since I started this blog! The last time was with our friends Diana and Peter, for brunch, and I had a succulent duck confit crepe that is not anymore on the menu.

We went for brunch and did not start that well as they kind of forgot us...The manager came and apologized, offering us some drinks; I just went for coffee (sorry, no bellini)! But we thought the service would be better once they realized we were there, unfortunately, it was not the case: it was the poorest service we had in a long time! And it was so unusual for that place.

Concerning the menu, you will find lots of basic dishes you would find in brasseries, although the restaurant features mainly specialties from Brittany, such as crepes, as well as standard brunch dishes such as eggs Benedict.

Jodi decided to try their Croque Monsieur, made with ham and beer marinated Swiss cheese:

The burger at DB Bistro Modern in NYC, New York

I could not resist to go to DB Bistro Modern to try their burger, The Original DB Burger! Yes, you can skip the menu and bring it to me! You are probably wondering what this burger is; it is a sirloin burger filled with short ribs, foie gras and black truffle! Of course, it is pricey and some may say that they would never pay $32 for a burger, but they would for a steak frites though and, considering the ingredients, the price might just be right. 

So, here we are, at DB Bistro Modern! The place is...modern, with a nice balance between the dark wood and red leather that is also present on the walls. It definitely gives a warmth and elegance to the place. I loved the black and white photos that were covering one of the walls: simply beautiful!

It took a while for somebody to take care of us, whether it was to bring us the menus or just water. I guess there were under staffed and our waiter was clearly overwhelmed, apologetic each time he was checking on us. Would that be a repeat of what happened at DBGB? Looked like it! 

Fortunately my coffee did not take too long!

As well as some fresh bread, similar to pain de campagne.

Our food took a bit if time to come...and it even came earlier than the table next to us that ordered 5 minutes before! Jodi got her Croque Monsieur, served with a salad.

Zafra's in Hoboken, NJ

The last time I went to Zafra's was in March this year. We went there few times before, but that time, it was to drink their hot chocolate with machica that was ranked number 15 of the best hot chocolate in the US! We tried it and it was delicious, however, we were out of luck because their fryer was not working and they could not prepare some of the dishes we wanted to order. 

So we decided to go back for a Sunday brunch! The place was crowded: normal, considering it is a very popular restaurant in Hoboken!

I love this colorful tiny place, that serves some delicious Cuban and Latin food crafted by Chef Maricel Presilla!

Of course, we started off with the hot chocolate:

It was fantastic! Not too sweet, it had this fantastic flavor that emanated from the cinnamon.

Then, we decided to start with arepitas con queso, small arepas with cheese:

We got three of them, served with creme fraiche and salsa. It was very good: I love the taste and texture of the corn flower. The cheese was probably queso blanco. It was a great, inexpensive appetizer, perfect for sharing.

Then, Jodi ordered the Carimañolas con Huevos or Yuca Cheese Croquettes with two fried eggs:

Umami Shoppu in the West Village, NYC, New York

How could I miss a place like Umami Shoppu located few blocks from Union Square? Cheap and good food is always something I appreciate: you do not need to pay big bucks to eat well and this is another good example of that. I know: I usually finish my blog post with what I think about a place and starts rarely with my opinion. But sometimes, I just feel like it!

It is not a big place, but it can accommodate a nice number of customers. In the back is the sushi bar, where you can observe the Chef preparing sushi and rolls.

We went few times and here are some of the dishes we tried:

Umami pork buns:

There are two of them and I wished they were four! They were heavenly good: the delicious pork was smothered in hoisin sauce, giving some nice sweetness, while the cucumber added some crispiness.

We also tried the Roti pancake:

I love that dish: yes it can be greasy, but it is so good in that curry sauce, that is more Indian / Thai - adopted - than Japanese.

I also tried the fried squid, served with a chili sauce:

It was not greasy, crunchy and the squid was not rubbery. I loved the mix between the saltiness of the fried squid and the sweetness of the chili sauce that was not spicy at all.

Another dish I tried was the yakitory, those Japanese skewers that I discovered at Bambootori.

Surprising food at Toloache in NYC, New York

I am not sure what I was expecting when I went to Toloache with my colleagues; probably simply Mexican food...Well, let say that it went beyond my expectations as you will discover in this post!

This two floor restaurant is very colorful, with paintings representing the Toloache also called Datura Innoxia, a flower used to make love potions, but also in Mexican witchcraft for darker purposes...

On the first floor is the bar, with its impressive choice of tequila, but where they also make fresh guacamole!

The menu, crafted by Chef Julian Medina is not as standard as you may think. Yes, they have tacos and quesadillas, but he made them his own. And for sure, if there was something I was not expecting to see, it was grasshoppers! Yes, you read it correctly: grasshoppers, or chapulines. Apparently it is a common ingredient in some parts of Mexico. There, they serve it in a taco. 

I have never tried grasshopper or any type of insect, at least willingly I guess. And I did not want to order the tacos just for that, as, if I did not like it, it would have been a waste of money. So, I asked our waitress wether it was possible to try some and she came back with a small ramequin full of them.

They are dried grasshoppers that they pan sear. We ate them like we would eat peanuts, putting everything in our mouth. It was crunchy outside and creamy inside, with a strong taste that had some hint of lime. It was good, but not to the point I would replace peanuts with it...

Then, it was time to eat some more usual things! We started off with guacamole. They make it fresh and propose a sampler of the three different kinds they serve:

Traditional (mild):

Brunch at The Smith in NYC, New York

We were looking for a place to have brunch before going to the Moma for the Magritte exhibit, and ended up at The Smith, on the Upper West Side. We reserved of course as each time we passed by the place, it was packed. Good move I would say! Yes, it was fairly crowded, outside and inside, and people kept coming in! 

I like the place: bright, it has an interesting decor, like a modern brasserie, but with some retro elements. This place is owned and operated by Jeffrey Lefcourt and Glenn Harris who also own and operate Jane on West Houston Street (always packed too!). 

As we sat, they brought us some bread (baguette), butter, as well as tap and sparkling water. I admit that it is the first time they brought free sparkling water in a restaurant!

So, we first ordered some beverages. Jodi got herself a tea from Steven...Smith (not sure if it was on purpose...). 

I ordered a double espresso. Good, but $7 was a bit pricey! Was there gold in it???

Then, our first appetizer came: hot potato chips with blue cheese fondue. 

We could not resist ordering it! Chips and blue cheese pair so well! But we did not foresee that it would be so big! For sure, they were not cheap on the blue cheese either and it was a fantastic start! It is definitely a dish I recommend!

Then, Jodi ordered the ranchero scramble, their take on Huevos rancheros.

Motorino pizza in the East Village, NYC, New York

With a name like Motorino, who would have thought it was a pizza place? One would have thought it was related to an automobile or motorbike! Yes, Motorino is indeed a pizza place that started in 2008 in Williamsburg and opened some outposts in the East Village and...Hong Kong!

We found it while going to Luzzo's that is so far my favorite for Neapolitan pizza. So my expectations were high!!!

The place seems small from outside, but it can cater to a reasonable number of customers. The decor is simple and you cannot miss the beautiful pressed-metal ceiling. 

In the back is the kitchen, with the wood fire oven where they cook their pizza. 

The menu is small and you will not find there twenty different types of pizza. They also have a short list of appetizers, but know that their meatballs are apparently only available after 2pm (we went there for brunch and wanted to try them...They should mention that on the menu!). 

So, the pizza are small size pies, 4 slices, similar in size, if not slightly smaller from the pizza that you would get in France for one person. 

We decided to try the Margherita pizza:

Magnum ice cream in Bryant Park, NYC!

I was recently invited to try the "Make your own" Ice cream bars from Magnum at Bryant Park. I love the make your own concept, that I experienced mainly with frozen yogurt.

So, first you pick your toppings. The place being small, it is limited. They have things like peanut butter cookie crumbs, salted pretzel, toasted coconut or rice krispies. You can pick up to three toppings.

Then, they will take an ice cream bar and dip it in either dark or milk chocolate.

Then, they will put the toppings you picked on top of you ice cream, drizzle some chocolate and add a chocolate chip with a M written on it, for Magnum.

I decided to go with milk chocolate, salted pretzels and rice Krispies.

Ice cream at Il Laboratorio Del Gelato in NYC, New York

Gelato always reminds me of our trip to Italy few years ago where we had gelato on a daily basis! Coconut for Jodi and Hazelnut or nutella for me! I remember that, at the time, it costed 2 Euros and we had a huge amount of it!

So, here we are at Il Laboratorio Del Gelato or the Ice Cream Laboratory. 

They did a good job making it look like a laboratory where they experiment and create incredible ice cream such as olive oil or tarragon! I tried the olive oil ice cream and it was fairly good, with sufficient taste of olive oil.

Jodi decided to order coconut and marshmallow:

I went for cookies and cream, and chocolate and hazelnut:

BBQ at Hill Country in NYC, New York

Recently, we went back to Hill Country with Jodi's cousins Jessica and Michael and their two kids, Alex and Brian. I was excited for many reasons, besides sharing a meal with them: the main one being that I love BBQ. It was also an opportunity to revisit it as my last visit was last year.

The place, that serves Texas BBQ, is similar to most of the BBQ places I went to: wood, wood and again wood.

But then, the experience is different: they sit you at a table where you will order beverages, but when it comes to the good, you need to order at the counter. So, they give each person of the party a ticket that will be stamped with the cost if the items you order.

Do not lose that ticket, otherwise, similar to Katz's, you will be in trouble and pay a high price!

They have three counters: the meat, where they will carve the meat.

You just need to ask them what you want, type and quantity, as they sell by the pound. They also propose some samplers for a fixed price.

Then, the sides:

I should probably mentioned that the guy serving us at the meat station was very courteous, not like the one at the sides station!!!

The last one is for desserts, that you can also order at the table.

We were ready for a feast! A good sign was the paper towel roll that they put on each table, that prefigure some finger licking!

So, Jodi decided to order a salad, but we also shared some deviled eggs.

I liked them, probably because I love mayo and there was a lot if it!

The Big Gay Ice Cream Shop in the East Village, NYC, New York

It's been a while since we wanted to try the Big Gay Ice Cream Shop: we heard about it so much and saw it few times on some of the TV shows we follow. It all started with a truck in 2009 and two years later, they opened this location in the East Village.

And trust me: it was crowded! To a point that the person you see on the photo, who made us laugh a lot, was directing traffic into the store.

It is a very small place with a passion from unicorns apparently...

Yes, unicorns everywhere!

There, you will not find your regular ice cream: it is not Mr Softee! They use ingredients like sea salt, dulce de leche, vanilla wafers, key lime curd...

On my side, I decided to order the Monday Sundae: