Lupa Osteria-Mario Batali-New York

Lupa Osteria, one of Mario Battali's New York City restaurants was on the recent restaurant week list. It was a great opportunity to try the famed eatery. Mario Battali has a weekly column in the New York Times about what he's drinking. This ruby cocktail was our choice at lunch the other day. It was a signature Negroni with blood orange juice.

 A delicious appetizer of olive oil cured tuna and bean salad.

My friends and I had a wonderful lunch. Lupa's staff was professional and the manager really gave us attention and took care of us.

 The trout main course

 The pork loin main course

 Chocolate Tartuffo was my choice of dessert and I wasn't disappointed.

 A pot of tea

 The communal Table at Lupa

The bar

Until next year, dear friends when we again choose one of the wonderful New York City restaurants as an excuse to get together around a table and share a meal.

Enjoy!

Maria

Boulud Sud-New York City Restaurant Week

New York City Restaurant Week is a tradition begun after 9/11 when the New York City Restaurant business suffered greatly and they were trying to entice customers to visit the restaurants.
There are two times during the year when they have these Restaurant Weeks and  I've been lucky to have gone both in Summer and Winter.
This time I went to a restaurant called Boulud Sud on 20W 64th Street. Daniel Boulud is a celebrated French chef with a signature restaurant "Daniel" in Manhattan. In recent years he has added less formal venues like Café Boulud, Bar Boulud and Boulud Sud.  I have eaten at Daniel (marvelous but very expensive), at Café Boulud (good but not great) and this February I got to have lunch at Boulud Sud.

It was a fantastic experience in an airy space, the kitchen open to the dining room, ceramic tagines decorating the counters and a nice bar at the entrance.

Greek Wine from the Island of Santorini

 Cauliflower Soup

 Shrimp with Garlic

 Cod with Vegetables

 Lamburger with Tzatziki and chickpea Fries

But the food is the star. Inspired by Southern European flavors and ingredients, Boulud has created a menu that  pops. From the wonderful wine list, to the great bread basket accompanied by olive oil, to the appetizers, mains and desserts it was a memorable trip to Southern Europe in the middle of a harsh New York winter.

 Chocolate Cake

 Orange Flan

 On the George Washington Bridge on the way back to New Jersey
Enjoy!


Maria

Gotham Bar & Grill-NYC

Last night Stelios and I headed into the city for dinner and a show. We had tickets for La Soiree La-Soiree.com, an off Broadway cabaret, circus show.

It was one of the coldest nights in New York City with lots of holiday traffic. The energy of the city was intoxicating with all the lights and people whizzing by.

Dinner was at the famed Gotham Bar & Grill in Union Square. The restaurant has been around for years but we never had occasion to dine there until last week!

 Three kinds of bread!

 Two glasses of Albarino, a lovely Spanish white.

 Oysters

 The best shrimp cocktail I've had in a long time! But the aioli that accompanied them I could have eaten by the spoonful(and I did)it was sooo good.

 Lobster!

Pan fried Fish in tamarind sauce- an excellent choice!

Didn't have time for dessert but they gave us a basket of financiers-yum! The financiers were small French cakes, not people who make their living from investments, typically involving large sums of money! They were light and moist, similar to sponge cake, and had an almond flavor.

A festive, lovely dining experience with wonderful service, ambiance, food and wine.

 

Enjoy!

 

Maria

Metropolitan Museum Member's Dining Room

A visit to the Metropolitan Museum becomes even more special with a lunch at the Member's Dining Room. The annual museum membership comes with the privilege of dining there. What makes it really cool is it's great big windows open to Central Park directly across Kleopatra's Needle, it's amazing flower arrangements, and the surprisingly excellent food.

One of the best times to come is during the holidays. The Christmas tree in the great hall of the Medieval Collection is a true masterpiece. The tree is at least two stories high, if not three, the angels are practically the size of newborns and the nativity scene built around the tree is a wonder that I'm still enjoying after all these years of coming here.

 

Kleopatra's Needle 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is located on 82nd street and Fifth Avenue in New York City. Not a block known for it's restaurant options. Yes, you can dine at the food trucks parked outside on the broad sidewalk but really, on your day in New York City, is that what you want? A hot dog or a souvlaki on a stick while standing out in the cold is not my idea of a festive lunch, if you know what I mean! 

 

An excellent hamburger with thick cut fries!

Arctic Char with veggies and a mustard sauce! 

Mushroom omelet with spring salad 

What was left of the bread

Chocolate lava cake

Peach crumble

Going with my sister, her husband and my godson and, of course, my hubby were the best part!

We met a couple who bought the museum membership, when planning their trip to New York from Ireland to visit their daughter, just so they could dine at the Member's Dining room! If you are planning a trip to the Big Apple, you may want to get the membership or makes friends with someone who already does!

Enjoy!

Maria