Free Eats on the LES

Best deal in the city for those on a shoestring budget.....or those who have been shopped out of house and home by the end of the Barneys Warehouse Sale (as I was this past weekend). I will literally be an old woman who lived in her shoes, but thanks to the new Whole Foods on Houston and Bowrey I will be able to feast on all the free samples at the Wednesday night "Block Party". That's right, from 6-8pm every Wednesday give your palate a workout and your pocketbook a rest. Delve into culinary delights such as exotic cheese, sweets, breads, and meats. All food groups are represented so get thee to Whole Foods and have a well balanced meal on them!

Luna Park - Worst Marg in Manhattan

A brief stint at Luna Park this past weekend has dethroned all previous holders of the "Worst Margs in Manhattan" title. On a quest for delicious margaritas, my friends and I descended upon Luna Park (restaurant in the middle of Union Square). After being told by the maitre'd the kitchen was closed (I was starving) I decided to drink my lunch with a refreshing alcoholic beverage. We were seated by our incompetent waitress who told me the kitchen was open....as plates upon plates of food exited its door. She handed me a sparse menu, we ordered a pitcher of swirl margs, and waited in sweet anticipation of that first icy slurp. 30 minutes later....we got our glasses of water, I was informed that the kitchen was in fact closed until dinner, and a pitcher of regular margaritas was brought out. When we informed her the error she went back and poured a cup of the strawberry variety down the side of the pitcher. Being the only lady in the group, I got the first glass (with no strawberry...so much for swirl). I brought the glass to my lips.........and what I tasted was not my beloved margarita, but a combination of lemonade, Sweet Tarts, and no booze. Needless to say, we got up and left: pitcher with its dewy condensation still on the table. The quest for the margarita continued.....

Luna Park - Summer 2007 title holder for "Worst Margarita in Manhattan"

Diablo Royale

Diablo Royale has officially dethroned my beloved El Rio Grande as my favorite Mexican restaurant in NYC. It's loud, it's rowdy, it has delicious guacamole, and sinful margaritas. Great Mexican food and a hellish environment complete with open windows in nice weather. I will definitely be frequenting this place. Get the appetizer chicken quesadillas to soak up some of that margarita along with guac and chips. I hear they have a margarita mixed with beer too...that is next on my list along with the roasted corn. Delish.

Diablo Royale - W 10th St @ W 4th St

Cafe Cluny

Just in time for the weekend: Cafe Cluny is my new favorite brunch spot. Nestled on tree lined W 4th in the West Village this is not the boozy brunch spot or the quick stop-in cafe. Cafe Cluny is incredibly relaxing, quaint, and has wonderful food. I read about this spot in Vogue (obviously a plus) where a buyer at Barneys claimed it her favorite brunch spot. That is a good endorsement, so I figured I had to check it out. I was more than pleasantly surprised. It was great that we didn't have to wait for a table as the other restaurants on that block, and the service was an 7 out of 10. I had eggs benedict with fries (which were delish) and my friend had the oatmeal with fruit which looked awesome. I was obviously splurging a bit, and he on the other hand is no fun when it comes to food. So...there are options for both ends of the nutritional spectrum. Great people watching, great location, great food. I will definitely be going back this weekend.

Cafe Cluny - W 4th @ W 12th

The Place

The Place is an intimate West Village restaurant and bar with a warm Moroccan vibe. It was the perfect cure for a chilly spring Friday night with their upscale American fare. I walk past this place frequently (always looks intriguing), and after checking out the other places on the W 4th restaurant row, we decided to stick out the 45 minute wait and give it a try. The waitstaff was adequate, but the food is what really shined. I had the hanger steak with whipped potatoes and asparagus which was absolutely divine and stick to your ribs good without being overwhelming. The patrons were predominantly Euros which always leads for great people watching. I do say that the Europeans flock to good food and drink, and we were not disappointed. Definitely check it out if you are looking for great food, lighting that would make the most haggard look flawless, or a hidden little spot to call your own.

The Place : W 4th btwn Bank and 12th

Gramercy Tavern

It was absolutely freezing in NYC last night, and I can't imagine a place I would have rather been than at Gramercy Tavern. The front room is bathed in warm candle light, groupings of fresh flowers and fruit, American antiques, and people who are obviously enjoying themselves with great food and conversation. There were no reservations open that night (a good sign), so we had a 30 minute wait around 9:30. We chose to sit in the tavern and not do any of the prix fixe options (I guess otherwise you get to sit in the more glamorous white tablecloth area in the back)... we wanted to be more casual anyways. We sat by the brick oven and all the cheese options which I loved.

I started out with the portabella tart which was really good. It didn't really need the pastry dough so much, but the mushroom was great, and I devouerd the goat cheese that came with it. Next, I had an absolutely to die for stuffed meatball with onions and potato puree. This was melt in your mouth fantastic and the onions were incredibly sweet and delicious. My friend got the bacon-wrapped trout which was disappointing compared to what I got, so he ate half of my dish. We ended the meal by sharing two desserts: blackberry struesel (blackberries are my favorite so I had to go with that), and the chocolate zucchini cake. I'm not really a chocolate person so I couldn't really care one way or the other about the cake, but Ioved the pistachio ice cream that came with it. The struesel was awesome. YUM. It was all very reasonably priced too. I was expecting to pay much more. Most of the entrees were under $20 and the appetizers hovered around $10.

It was a great dining experience, and I loved what I ordered. The customer service was awesome, and the atmosphere was the perfect remedy for the blustery cold night. I can't tell you how much I didn't want to leave the warmth of the dining room and venture back out to the chilling temperatures and gale force wind gusts. Gramercy Tavern is a must.

Gramercy Tavern: 20th btwn Park and Broadway

Gonzalez y Gonzalez - WORST Mexican Food Ever

As a self proclaimed connoisseur of all things Tex-Mex I decided to take a little break from shopping in Soho and check out Gonzalez y Gonzalez. I knew it was owned by the same people as my beloved El Rio Grande, so I figured I was in for a treat. I could not have been more wrong. First of all, the service was awful. I know it was busy with all of the 5 tables of people, but we truly waited 10 minutes before someone even came to grab our drink order. Enough about that though....I will cut straight to the chase on the food. My chalupa (basically a flat taco) was like a plate of nachos and had a slightly chemical taste coupled with a smell that could only remind me of diapers and baby wipes. SICK. Maybe it was our proximity to the stairs to the rest room, but I could barely put them by my nose, let alone in my mouth. I got a similar reaction to Todd's dish. Please, I beg you......eat anywhere else.

Sing Sing

No, I am not talking about the infamous NY state penitentiary....I am talking about the wild karaoke bar on the Lower East Side. I am not a huge karaoke person (I really think I am tone deaf), but I have never had so much fun singing my ass off in my life. Sing Sing is a completely unpretentious place, and pleasantly lacking the tool/diva/drunkard disaster stage. The best thing to do is to grab your own private room in the back where it turns into less karaoke more drunken bar singing with your friends. I think we stuffed 15 people in our room complete with big-screen TV, microphones, and couch. Oh ya....and as any Japanese businessman would require, there was plenty of booze too. Yikes. I have to advise...beware what you say post-alcoholic beverages when the mic is in your hands. The damnedest things will come out of anyone's mouth. Love it!

Sing Sing - Ave A btwn 5th and 6th Street

Sauce

What may look like a tattered facade from the exterior hides a classy, casual, and inviting neighborhood restaurant and bar in my beloved Chelsea. I initially came across this place for a friend's birthday party the day after I moved to NYC, so I didn't discover what a gem this was until later. Who knew that you could not only serve booze, but have great food too. It is usually pretty quiet and perfect for catching up. I love that you can hold a conversation without worrying about the people next to you breathing on your food or someone at the bar adding a side of vodka sauce to your dinner. It has a nice wine list, and the food is really quite good too. I really loved the monkfish with truffle mashed potatoes (though it was a little on the salty side), and my friend got the porkchop which he enjoyed as well. I have also had the roasted beet and arugula salad which was amazing for something on the lighter side. Beware of the spicy tuna crostini though, they are not kidding when they say spicy. Yikes. All in all, this is a great spot for a casual night when you really can't bare to be expected to actually cook for yourself....definitley have the folks at Sauce give you a break.

Sauce - 9th Ave @ 22nd

Swift Bar

I stumbled upon Swift at a friend's work holiday party, and this place is definitely a diamond in the rough. It is easy to overlook, but is so great when you are there. It is a no-nonsense, minimal pretense, laid back place. AND it is so great right now because it is decorated for Christmas. I love it. It has a tavern-esque feel which makes it low key and not too rowdy. There are plenty of places to sit and grab a beer and there were quite a few hotties there on Saturday afternoon. I will definitely be back.

Swift - E. 4th btwn Lafayette and Bowery

Cafeteria

This is one of my favorite late night eateries in Chelsea, so it is a wonder I have not written about it before. I guess last night was one of the few occasions where I went there a)on a week night, and b) not at 4am after a night of hard core boozing. This is a great place that's open 24 hrs, which is surprisingly hard to come by in the "city that doesn't sleep". It is completely wild say, Saturday around 3am, but it was surprisingly crowded Tuesday night at 11ish. This is definitely a gay scene and even though all the furnishings are pretty Ikea-style, it is sleek and stylish in its own way. Basically, it looks trendy from the outside, but is really a upscale incarnation of a late night diner. I'm not going to lie, I have had the chicken fried steak and it was delicious (I don't know if that was the booze talking though), and the mac and cheese is perfect after drinking. On more sane nights I opt for the spinach salad which I love. You really can't go wrong here. Nothing is terribly expensive, unless you order an entire side of the menu which my friends have done before. If you are in a rush I might pass it up though, because the service can be quite slow. Regardless, its easy and delish: you can't go wrong with that.

Cafeteria - 7th Ave btwn 16th and 17th

Maroons

Tired of the same old brunch? The wait at Pastis...boring eggs bennie...mimosas where you feel like you are drinking regular OJ. Mix it up and head to Maroons. They have a Jamaican and southern inspired menu and live jazz during brunch. We all got the fried chicken with waffles or homefries, and it was great: not KFC greasy, but moist and juicy. Brunch is a prix fixe $15 which includes a brunchy cocktail. Skip the Maroons Madness (way too sugary) and go straight for the screwdriver. Talk about hair of the dog. Yikes. Our waiter was hilariously sassy so that livened things up a bit. Definitely a great deviation from the norm, really fun, and where else can you eat fried chicken without feeling totally ghetto.

Maroons - 16th btwn 7th and 8th

Nello's - Pink Dog Stroller Not Amusing

I pulled this one from the archives...please heed as a warning and laugh at the utter pompousness.

I expected high prices at Nello, but as I looked at the menu my eyes became as large as the Birkin Mary-Kate has been seen toting around these days--$18 for soup, $22 for a plate of mixed greens, $40 for pasta. You have to be kidding me. My friend and I were seated at a table that may have well been in the 'waiting area', and the genius maitre d' decided to keep the front door open even though it was 40 degrees outside. To top it all off, a woman came into the restaurant pushing a pink stroller--carrying two dogs none the less, which the staff promptly made room for at her table. Give me a break! I can get a hell of a lot of soup and salad at Whole Foods for $40. I could almost hear the cash register in the staff's heads going Ca-Ching! Ca-Ching! Ca-Ching!

Nello's - Madison btwn 62nd and 63rd.

Tortilla Flats

Beware: 2 pitchers of margs on the rocks will run you about $90. Even though potency receives and A+ in my book (being from TX I am quite the connoisseur), that is quite a bill for beverages served in pitcher form. They also have trivia night on Sundays which is like Trivial Pursuit frat house style with winners getting free tequila shots. My advice: steer clear of the farthest table in the back of patio. There is a dryer vent spewing hot humid air which engulfs your legs. My advice: fashion a menu to funnel the air away and bring out the plastic because these margs will either polish you off or be the beginning of a CRAZY night.

Tortilla Flats - Washington @ 12th Street

El Rio Grande - The Restaurant, Not the River

El Rio Grande is my favorite tex-mex restaurant in NYC. Hands down. It is the only place I have found where I can get my favorite Texas Queso. This is not it's wimpy sister the Queso Fundito which is melted cheese in a skillet, but a bowl of melted cheese, japs, and onions perfect for dipping chips or tortillas. The tacos and enchiladas are great and my new favorite winter dish is the chicken soup with avacado and tomatoes. And, of course it has the requisite boozy margarita. Delish. I feel like I am back in Austin.

El Rio Grande (38th and 3rd Ave)

The Black Door

After the monsoon on Friday evening, I figured it could possibly be disastrous to venture too far away from my apartment. It was not worth getting caught in that again. I had heard of The Black Door, a little no frills neighborhood bar, from my roommate and decided to check it out. It was a great little low-key place with cheap (by NYC standards) drinks. My fav, Grey Goose on the rocks with lem and lime was $8. It would have easily been $13 at the Gansevoort. I also loved the music....it really took me back to my middle school days with mid-nineties tween anthems from Bush, Weezer, and Stone Temple Pilots. And, now I know where the straight Chelsea kids come to grab a drink. Definitley recommended for a low-key night when you aren't looking to drop a lot of coin, and are more interested in grabbing a drink then dealing with the scene.

The Black Door (26th btwn 6th and 7th Ave)

The Spotted Pig

Ok, so this is my #2 'go-to' restaurant. Fabulous, laid back, delicious food. They do have some adventurous menu items like a crispy pig's ear and something involving eel, but 90% of the people get the burger, and for good reason. The hamburger is the best I have had, and I think I gained 15 pounds after I ate it. It was total food coma style. The mozzarella salad is great and on the lighter side, and I also loved the quail. This is a great place to have dinner or hang out at the bar upstairs or down. They are serving mulled wine right now. If you haven't have it get yourself there ASAP...it is the perfect winter beverage. I was there last night, and I would say it was pretty wild for a Thursday but started to quiet down around 10:30. Very much like a neighborhood pub, you sit on bar stools (even at a table unless you get a coveted booth) and it is packed. I have had to wait 30-45 minutes every time to get a table...even on Sundays. Regardless, this is one of my favorite places.

The Spotted Pig - (11th @ Greenwich Street)

Le Bilboquet

I can easily say Le Bilboquet is my 'go-to' restaurant in NYC. Out of town guests--take them to Bilbo...Thurs night drinks and appz--go to Bilbo...you get the picture. This tiny haunt is on the corner of 63rd and Madison (yes, my nose starts to bleed when I go that far uptown, but it is so worth it), no bigger than your parent's living room, with no sign and only a green awning. It is usually crowded, so grab a drink across the street at Post House, and the maitre d' will come get you when your table is ready. Inside is a totally euro scene with ever changing art, delicious food, and a joie le vivre air. It gets totally wild at night and at brunch complete with dancing in your seat, great music, a 'light show' by my favorite waiter Derek, and more pinot than you can imagine. I swear by the Cajun chicken and absolutely love the smoked salmon with guacamole. I have always had the best time and loved my food even if they are a little slow filling the water glasses (who cares anyways....we are drinking vino!) Some of my craziest nights in NYC have began at Bilbo.

Le Bilboquet (63rd btwn Madison and Park)

Why Wai?

Wai Cafe has the cheapest healthy eats on 6^th ave. coupled with some questionable service. Most entrees are under $12 (sandwiches are about $7), and the house carrot ginger salad dressing is like liquid crack. I really can’t get enough of it. I got the veggie burger on a pita with brown rice which was quite delish. Of course I covered the burger in the carrot ginger dressing. YUM. Our food came out fairly quickly but, looking back we were one of 3 occupied tables. It did, however, take a good 20 minutes to get the check. Really liked the food, but I would probably just have it delivered next time.

Wai Cafe (6th Ave btwn 16th and 17th)

Bar Pitti

I finally went to Bar Pitti in the West Village last night for dinner with a friend from out of town. Food was great, the prices were super cheap, and I felt Iike I was at a cafe in Italy (minus the cigarette smoke, minibikes, and amorous Italians). I ordered the Rigattoni Pitti, and at $11 it was just enough food to where you don't have to be rolled out of the restaurant -- ala American chain restaurant style-- and are completely up for ordering a little dessert or having that extra glass of vino. I chose the vino obviously. I could have used a little less attitude from the waitstaff, but you know, whatev. Highly recommended for cheap eats/laid-back yet trendy spot/Euro vibe.

Bar Pitti: 6th Ave btwn Bleecker and Houston