I’m always in the mood for seafood, but this summer’s glut of lobster deals has really kicked my appetite into high gear. I feel like I’m constantly reading about seafood deals every day, so I’ve started keeping track of some of my favorites. And I’m not just talking about good bargains like Luke’s Lobsters “Taste of Maine.” I’m talking legit seasonal discounts and short-term specials. Read on for the catch of the day.
Posts Tagged ‘Gramercy’
Summer Seafood Deals: Lobster Fever Hits New York
Thursday, August 5th, 2010Summer Restaurant Week: It’s That Time of Year Again!
Friday, July 2nd, 2010Just 10 days from now one of New York’s (OK, one of OUR) favorite semi-annual traditions begins again - those magical two weeks, which generally turn into three or four, when usually out-of-reach dining experiences can be had for a relatively paltry $24.07 for lunch or $35 for dinner. This is inevitably preceded by another time-honored tradition: obsessively perusing the menus available online for this year’s chosen meals. And finally after an intense period of research and resultant lip-licking, we’ve narrowed it down to our top four choices for this summer. (Drumroll please…)
Kim’s picks:
Adour Alain Ducasse — OK, I’ll be honest: this one was on the list before I even clicked to view the menu. How often do you get to eat at a three-star Michelin chef’s eatery for Restaurant Week prices? But if the menu is anything to go by, there’s more reason to go here than just the chef’s reputation. I’ll take the fluke ceviche to start…hmm, and then maybe some prime beef tournedos with glazed short ribs, and end it with a dark chocolate sorbet with brioche croutons? Yeah, that ought to just about do it!
Industria Argentina — If you love Latin flavors but can appreciate a twist on the traditional, this may just be the restaurant week meal for you. We’re talking octopus salad with toasted corn, pork roasted with Valencia oranges served up with grilled yams and plum chutney, and how about a flan with salted caramel nougat?
Zengo — This haven of Asian-Mexican fusion is usually not a place to fill your belly at a reasonable price, so restaurant week is a great opportunity to sample some of their deliciously creative fare without breaking the bank. I can personally vouch for the Thai chicken empanadas, chicken pibil, and braised beef short ribs, all of which are available on the restaurant week menu.
Nicole’s picks:
City Crab - I spend my summer daydreaming of relaxing by the coast at a quaint little seafood shack, with a lemonade in one hand and a lobster roll in the other. While seafood shacks are few and far between in the city, seafood restaurants are not. I’m particularly jazzed about City Crab’s lunch menu, which includes a Maine lobster and clam bake (complete with all the fixin’s), but I would be just as happy with twin steamed lobsters for dinner.
Maya - Looking for a break from the usual chicken or fish options? Maya offers exotic entrees galore. From adobo-marinated soft-shell crabs to huitlacoche-mushroom-requeson stuffed crepes, there are plenty of options to satisfy your favorite adventurous eater.
Spice Market - If you want to get a little extra mileage out of your RW experience, look no further than Spice Market. This Meatpacking mainstay offers an extra course for your money and features options ranging from salmon tartar with soy-ginger dressing to charred, chili-rubbed beef skewers with Thai-basil dipping sauce.
Victor’s Cafe - To be honest, I wasn’t familiar with Victor’s until seeing it on the RW-list, but this Latin-inspired menu had me at roast suckling pig marinated in sour orange juice, olive oil, garlic and herbs. Though the pig is undeniably the star attraction, every dish on offer shines.
We hope you enjoy all that Restaurant Week has to offer. For more tips, check out our previous summer restaurant week post.
Posted by: Kim Partrick and Nicole Price Fasig
Wildwood Barbecue: Minutes of Racing, Hours of Fun
Friday, April 30th, 2010Tomorrow, May 1, marks “the most exciting two minutes in sports”: the Kentucky Derby. It’s a huge deal for racing enthusiasts, sure, but for different reasons it’s just as huge for food, drink, and hat enthusiasts nationwide. There are quite a few parties and specials going on around the city, but Wildwood Barbecue’s might just be our favorite. After all, what better way to celebrate the Kentucky Derby than… with Kentucky Hot Browns? These sandwiches are no joke - they’re open-faced turkey and bacon sandwiches smothered in Mornay sauce and “browned” in the oven. Wildwood’s version, which they’re cooking up especially for the occasion, will run you $11.95. Wrap your meal up with a slice of bourbon pecan pie for $8. And of course mint juleps ($6) will be served up, along with other drink specials, including Maker’s Mark wax-dipped souvenir glasses for the first 150 bourbon drinks ordered after 4 p.m. The fun starts at 11 a.m., so make sure to come early and grab a prime seat for the main event!
Posted by: Kim Partrick
Price: $-$$
Location: 225 Park Avenue South (at 18th St.)
Type of Food: American
Veggie Friendly? N
www.brguestrestaurants.com
Edible Magazines: Putting Everyone in “Good Spirits”
Tuesday, January 19th, 2010Though this event is more about what’s imbibable rather than what’s edible, we’ll let the semantics slide for this exciting new event hosted by Edible Manhattan and Edible Brooklyn. We’re giving you the heads-up a week early due to the overwhelming success of previous Edible Events, like July’s Good Beer.
$40 may seem like a hefty tab for a Monday night, but it’s a downright steal when you have a look at the mixologists who will be on hand from some of the city’s best watering holes. Every participating venue will take a different spirit and mold a cocktail for it, all for your enjoyment and hopes of your future patronage. Gramercy Tavern will craft something around the already-delicious St. Germain, Hendrick’s Gin will be handled by Resto, and Rocking Horse Cafe will play with Sombra Mezcal. All in all, six mixologists will take part. But Good Spirits isn’t only for cocktail connoisseurs, because each mixologist will be paired with a chef, who will create a food pairing for the cocktail. Jason Weiner, chef of host restaurant Almond, will be concocting a lamb neck sausage and serve it up with a celery root puree and kumquat-basil marmalade which should all marry well with Rhum J.M.
Most of the cocktail and food pairing creations remain shrouded in mystery, so you’ll have to snatch up a ticket to find out about all the wonders in store. The event’s bound to sell out, so get yours while you still can!
Posted by: Kim Partrick
Location: 12 East 22nd Street (between Broadway and Park Ave. S.)
Info and tickets at Edible Manhattan’s website.
Shake Shack: It’s What’s for Lunch
Monday, December 14th, 2009Whether you’re a burger person or you go crazy for the bird dog, there’s no denying that Shake Shack is one of the best lunches in the ‘hood. If it weren’t for that pesky line…
Starting today, you’ll be able to bypass that horrific wait. That’s right, Shake Shack’s taking phone orders so you can call ahead for lunch. Just phone in your picks and the Shack staff will tell you when to swing by and pick up your lunch. The lines are open starting at 10am, with the first pickup at 11am. Give ‘em a call at 212-889-6600. And be sure to take a stroll past the ridiculous line with your meal. Whatever you’ve ordered, is guaranteed to taste that much sweeter minus the wait.
Posted by: Nicole Price Fasig
Price: $
Location: Madison Square Park, near 23rd St. & Madison Ave.
Type of Food: American
Veggie Friendly? Y
www.shakeshacknyc.com
Mad. Sq. Mark’t: Treat Yourself to Lunch in the Park
Monday, October 12th, 2009
I’ve been dying to try Fatty Crab for ages now, so I jumped at the opportunity to eat out … in Madison Square Park! Fatty Crab is just one of a number of restaurants represented in the pop-up market off 5th Ave. including Cabrito, Hill Country, Crepes Suzette, and others. The lines at Friday’s kick-off were long, but certainly not Shake Shack caliber, so the Mark’t is still a great stop for a quick lunch.
I had the opportunity to sample Fatty Crab’s fatty dog, an XO sausage (pork and fatback from Heritage Foods) with pickled chili and radish, aioli, and cucumber, topped with cilantro on a toasted bun. I enjoyed this surprisingly spicy dish with a chicken satay (also with a nice kick) on the side, so I was especially grateful for a sip of Kim’s hot apple cider from Breezy Hill Orchard. This wonderful lunch was capped off with a liege wafel topped with dulce de leche and whipped cream for Kim and a moist and delicious honey-cinnamon cupcake for me. I just thank my lucky stars I work near the park, because the Madison Square Mark’t will be a frequent lunch stop for me. The Mark’t is open from 11am-8pm daily through November 1.
More pictures from our delicious lunch after the jump!
Posted by: Nicole Price Fasig
Order: fatty dog, chicken satay, honey-cinnamon cupcake
Price: $
Location: Worth Square, 25th St. (between 5th Ave. and Broadway)
Type of Food: Asian, Dessert
Veggie Friendly? N
www.madisonsquarepark.org
Baoguette: Not Just Another Banh Mi Joint
Thursday, October 8th, 2009
Thanks to the recent craze, banh mi is everywhere, and yet somehow it’s still hard to find a passable sandwich north of Grand Street. While Michael Hyunh’s Baoguette doesn’t reinvent the wheel when it comes to the traditional dish, it really shines in its innovative twists like the BBQ chicken sandwich and the sloppy baoguette (spicy curry beef, green mango, basil, and lemongrass). The BBQ chicken, a favorite around my office, features spicy barbecue chicken, naturally, topped with all the traditional banh mi fixings, including pickled daikon, cilantro, cucumber, as well as garlic aioli. I opted for it “spicy,” meaning that thinly sliced jalapeno was also thrown into the mix. Though I’m embarrassed to admit that the level of heat was a bit much for me, the sandwich is so deliciously fresh and flavorful that I was more than happy to grin through the pain.
Since its opening earlier this year, Baoguette has expanded its menu from humble (yet innovative) sandwiches, to include salad and noodle dishes too. And for less than $10 a dish ($5 for sandwiches), you’d be hard-pressed to find a more exciting and flavorful lunch.
Posted by: Nicole Price Fasig
Order: BBQ chicken sandwich
Price: $
Location: 61 Lexington Ave. (between 25th St. and 26th St.)
Type of Food: Vietnamese
Veggie Friendly? N
Shake Shack: An Ode to the Bird Dog
Thursday, October 1st, 2009
Most visitors to Shake Shack look at that menu board and just can’t slide their eyes past the famous Shack Burger. In fact, one friend commented that he didn’t even realized they offer other types of protein. Oh, but they do!
Eater, meet Bird Dog. While it may look like just a bigger-than-average hot dog, it is oh, so much more. Chicken-apple bratwurst, anyone? It’s a juicy bite of sausage that packs so much of both flavors it doesn’t even need the bevy of toppings that come when you order it as a “Second City Bird Dog.” This version comes with mustard, house-made relish, cucumber, pickle, tomato, sport pepper, and celery salt. There certainly is a lot going on inside that poppyseed bun, but it truly defines the phrase “party in your mouth.” Every component of this crazy shenanigan of a hot dog provides its own distinct flair, the sport pepper and relish proving especially resplendent.
The only thing I can find wrong with the Bird Dog is that it’s so addicting it might be hard for you to go back to that old-hat hamburger once you’ve had one. I certainly haven’t.
Posted by: Kim Partrick
Price: $
Location: Madison Square Park, near 23rd St. & Madison Ave.
Type of Food: American
Veggie Friendly? Y
www.shakeshacknyc.com
How To Enjoy Your Sunny Saturday This Weekend
Friday, September 25th, 2009While most serious (and lucky) foodies will be off enjoying sold-out (and expensive) events Le Fooding and the Vendy Awards, no need to sweat the fact that you can’t be there, for there’s plenty of fun to be had while spending far less money. So, the question is, are you ready to take full advantage of your first gorgeous autumn Saturday before the rain comes on Sunday? If the answer is yes, here’s your plan:
First stop: FAB! Festival and Block Party
What: This is no average fall street fair. Along with performances, dance lessons, and theater workshops, there will be what’s sure to be some impressive gourmet food vendors to feed your bones when they’re tired from dancing. Also, while you’re pounding the pavement, enjoy discounts at a slew of the neighborhood’s shops. Check out the website for details on these discounts and a schedule of events.
Where: East 4th Street (between Bowery & 2nd Ave.)
When: Saturday, September 26, 1-7 p.m.
www.fabnyc.org
Next stop: Thrillist’s East Village Wine Tour
What: Tomorrow afternoon and evening, high-end wine shops from the LES to Alphabet City to Union Square will be partnering with Thrillist to bring you free tastings from such varied regions as California, France, Spain, and the Basque country. Each store has picked its own special region for the event, so try a few and test your palette! Visit Thrillist’s event page for a scheduling and location breakdown.
Where: Multiple locations.
When: Saturday, September 26, 4:30-9 p.m.
www.thrillist.com
Final stop: Oktoberfest Keg Party and Pub Crawl
What: Drag your poor exhausted body down to yet another cheap event, this time near Gramercy Park. Wander from bar to “bierhaus” and sample various German brews while taking part in Oktoberfest-themed drinking games. Of course, in grand Teutonic tradition, you can also partake in $4 German tequila shots. Going.com has more on the festivities.
Where: Multiple locations.
When: Saturday, September 26, 8pm-12am
newyork.going.com
Posted by: Kim Partrick & Nicole Price Fasig
I Trulli: Dine With the Ladies Who Lunch
Friday, July 17th, 2009
Of the many hazards of eating out at a fancy restaurant, my least favorite might be getting relegated to the worst table in the joint. At I Trulli, however, you actually want to get stuck sitting in the back. I Trulli’s gorgeous back patio is the perfect location for a leisurely and decadent summer lunch, and the service is impeccable. While the Restaurant Week menu was incredible, I couldn’t help but get the feeling that we were only getting a mere taste of the splendor that is the regular menu.
As we watched heaping trays of seafood being delivered to other tables, we selected from the much simpler prix fixe menu. The options were quite satisfying, but they only left me curious to see what a truly grand meal at I Trulli would be like.
Check out the pictures, and our impressions, after the jump.
Posted by: Nicole Price Fasig
Order: panelle, pollo, biscotti
Price: $$$
Type of Food: Italian
Location: 122 E. 27th St. (between Park Ave. and Lexington Ave.)
Veggie Friendly? Y
www.itrulli.com