Cosme

Finally tried the infamous Corn Husk Meringue at Cosme last night - yum! It was amazing. Food & Wine actually published the recipe so I'm now dying to try to make it. Cosme was really delicious. If you're looking for regular Mexican food, this is not it. This is really fancy, creative food with a Mexican influence. The duck carnitas is amazing, but definitely have at least three people to split it, it's huge! Mmm. Dinner was amazing. Still dreaming about this dessert. It's crunchy, creamy, and rich and has a little salt on top. So great. 

Kiki's Greek Tavern in Chinatown

Found such a great spot! Kiki's Greek Tavern in Chinatown. The Times wrote it up two weeks ago so I tried it out with my friends Kara and Alice. It's adorable! It's down a tiny street in deep Chinatown (off the East Broadway stop) and to fit in with the neighborhood, the awning says "Kiki's Tavern" in Chinese characters. The inside is sparse and charming and the waiters are so friendly and don't rush you at all. Most importantly, the food is fantastic. 

Ample Hills

This little ice cream stand in Brooklyn Bridge Park has really fabulous flavors. I am kicking myself for not trying to sooner. (I had my first cone there last week after passing it a million times.) We had their version of cookies and cream, which was incredible. There was some spice in the cookies, maybe marjoram, and the ice cream itself had some salt in it. It was just really, really tasty. Some of the crazier flavor options were stour and pretzel and one that was bourbon flavored with candied bacon. I will definitely be stopping there again after our next BBQ. 

Chez Wong, Lima

Chez Wong is an amazing restaurant in Lima. If anyone is going to Lima, or knows someone who is, make a reservation here! You'll have to speak Spanish and make the res about a month in advance. It's in the middle of no where in Lima at an unmarked door. The decor is very simple - mostly clips about the chef, Javier Wong. He is so cool. He comes out in his hat and just starts to filet flounder after flounder and making fresh ceviche. 

The General Greene

Last weekend it was 50 and sunny, so Jamie and I hopped on Citi Bikes and biked over to Fort Greene to meet friends for brunch. We went to The General Greene. We sat right down, it was nice and sunny inside, and the food was tasty. The grits with the steak and eggs was my favorite, and I love any egg dish that comes with salad (this did). I'd never been to Fort Greene - now I want to bike back over and try some more spots. So cute. 

Brooklyn Buschenschank

On a cold, windy Saturday, Jamie and I wandered into Brooklyn Buschenschank (my dad had read about it a few months earlier and thought we should try it). It was super cozy with a fire going and had a great German beer list.

The pretzel and mustard was sooo tasty, and the currywurst was great. 

Jamie above the BQE on our walk

Seersucker

I'm just regretting that this is the only picture I took to show how great Seersucker was. I'd been meaning to go forever and Jamie took me for a Valentine's Day dinner. It was so. good. The cocktails were great, with a special smokey chipotle whiskey sour. The biscuits they served to start were flaky and fluffy and buttery. The star of the night was the fried chicken. Wow! It was so herbaceous and juicy, even though it was boneless. It was just so flavorful. I can't wait to go back!

Colonie

Jamie and I had a fabulous dinner at Colonie last night, courtesy of our wonderful friend Jamie Burgess (thank you!!). It's a really cute spot, dimly lit with plants, an open kitchen, and a friendly staff. If anyone is looking for a great restaurant in Brooklyn Heights, this is a perfect choice. The grapefruit chili margarita is an excellent cocktail choice.

Tokara

Is that not the prettiest salad you've ever seen? That was my appetizer at Tokara in Stellenbosch outside of Cape Town. I already knew their wine was amazing (my favorite is the Director's Reserve Red), but the food was fab too.

This is a shot from the Vinotec (wine library)

And the incredible view

Jinya Ramen

Last week, I went to Jinya Ramen with some friends. My friend Chelsea had recommended it, and she was not wrong. It was delicious! The broth is just so flavorful. I had the Tonkatsu Spicy, which was a pork ramen. It wasn't all that spicy, but was really satisfying and savory. I couldn't eat even half of the noodles, but I ate all the veggies, meat, and broth. They also have great condiments on the table, including a spicy garlic oil and some chili powder. I would definitely go back, and I'm drooling thinking about that broth. It must take them forever to make it.

Brooklyn Farmacy

Brooklyn Farmacy is so adorable. It's an old-timey diner in a space that used to be a pharmacy. They have delicious milk shakes and the food is excellent. Jamie and I went on Saturday and had a great lunch. I had the pastrami sandwich and it was incredible. It was a pastrami sandwich on thin rye toast with melted cheddar cheese and sour kraut. It was so delicious and the cheese was gooey and it was so flavorful. It came with a little mustard to dip. Yum! If you're in the Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens, stop by for lunch. I also can't wait to try one of the sundaes. We were eyeing the people next to us who had some sort of peanut butter sundae that looked fantastic.

Battersby

Wow! This was amazing. My wonderful sister-in-law, Katie, sponsored a nice dinner out for me and Jamie and we tried the tasting menu at Battersby on Smith Street. We were totally blown away. The food was incredible, and just perfectly, perfectly seasoned. I felt so full leaving after five courses and a few amuses bouches, but I would go back any night. Can't wait to try it a la carte. Highly recommend the 5-course tasting menu for a nice dinner. It's $65 per person.

Here's how it went...
1st amuse bouche: a shot of vichyssoise

2nd amuse bouche: an incredible little toast spread with chicken liver mouse and a thin slice of mushroom

Bread: this amazing rosemary focaccia and fresh ricotta, wow

1st course: spring pea salad with snap peas and fresh peas with lemon and pecorino

Bourgeois Pig

I met up with my friend Lara last night for dinner and we went to Bourgeois Pig. I'd walked by it several times and always wanted to try it. It was very cute! And Wednesday is a great night to go because they have $6 mussels all night! It's really Gothic in there (decor-wise) and eclectic with lots of reds and blacks and velvets and mismatched chairs, but super cute and fun. We got a champagne punch bowl, which I loved! So perfect for dinner with girls, or later at night for a romantic date dinner. It's fun to ladle your own punch into the little glass mugs they give you.

Lowcountry

I had walked by Lowcountry a bunch of times and was always curious, so when it popped up on Savored, Jamie and I thought we'd give it a try. It was cute inside. The tables were made of pieces of wooden doors with the carved out moldings filled with glass - charming. They had lots and lots of bourbon, so if you're a bourbon lover it would be great! They also had some fun bourbon cocktails. All in all, the food was pretty tasty southern food, but the stand out dish was the Fried Pickles with Green Goddess Dressing. Oh my goodness! They're amazing. I want to go back right now and just order 10 of those. They are covered in cornmeal and fried so they're crispy but not overly so, and it's a great texture. And the dressing is tangy and perfect. Plus I just love pickles.

Beecher's for Dinner

So I've stopped at Beecher's before for lunch to pick up some of their amazing mac and cheese, but I went for dinner for the first time last week. What a great spot! Down in the basement they have a cute restaurant. The menu is cheese heavy but there are some other things too. It's also happy hour until 7 and they have some great drink and food deals ($7 for mac and cheese, $7 for a cheese plate, and $7 for the nightly special cocktail!). I couldn't resist the mac and cheese, so we got that, a cheese platter, and a beet salad with cheese curds. Yum! The cocktail was a yummy citrus infused vodka with a little sparkling water and I think a tiny bit of simple syrup. It was tasty without being too sweet. Great place to go for dinner or after-work cocktails and snacks.

Schiller's

One of my very best friends, Alice, was celebrating her birthday last weekend on the Lower East Side at Home Sweet Home (super fun and great dancing music). Another one of my besties (Kara) and I decided to grab dinner beforehand at Schiller's. I hadn't been in a while, and even though it's not new or anything, Schiller's is always fun and always hopping. I ran into two other friends eating there and the atmosphere was buzzing. We were a little late to the reservation because of traffic on Houston, so we grabbed a drink at the bar while we waited a few minutes.

One of my favorite things about it is their wine list, divided into three brief sections: Cheap, Decent, and Good. We went for a "Decent" red. They bring it over in a clear glass bottle with little glasses.

Locanda Verde

Charlie and Kirby with the duck and scallops

I went to Locanda Verde last night with some friends. I'd been dying to go and one of my friends had to give up her reservation so I got to steal it with four of my friends. (It's super popular, so you need to book like a month in advance.) It was great! The food was amazing and the atmosphere is really cool and well designed. Two of us got there first so we went to the bar for a drink. I had the pear sgroppino - it was so tasty. It definitely had some ripe, pureed pear in there and just tasted fresh and like the perfect bite of pear. Not too sweet. When our friends got there, we were escorted back to our table. The atmosphere was fun and lively and the music selection was great, all without being too loud.

To start, we had two orders of burrata. (If you haven't had it, it's basically fresh mozzarella filled with a mix of cream and more mozzarella - amazing.) It was creamy and rich but the richness was offset by the sweet and sour peperonata agrodolce and the bitter dandelion greens and fresh herbs. As you can see, we cleared the plate before I had a chance to snap a picture. It was also served with some really light and fluffy bread with a thin savory layer of melted cheese on top.

Momofuku Fried Chicken Dinner

Yum!!! I don't know if you've been to Bonchon or tried Korean fried chicken, but man, the Momofuku Fried Chicken Dinner is fabulous. My friend Alice made the reservation about a month ago (you have to, they fill up fast) and we went for dinner last night. It's $100 for 4-8 people - definitely get a group of 8 because it's plenty of food. It's also great because you get to avoid the extremely long line. One draw back is that the times are a little weird - our reservation was at 6pm. But having an early dinner is nice because even if you go out after, you'll probably be home by 10.

Secret Naked Lady Room at Bell Book and Candle

I'd been dying to try the Naked Lady Room at Bell Book and Candle. I'd eaten there once before (BB&C) but didn't know about the special, secret little room. For Jamie's birthday, we made a reservation for 5 (that's all it holds) 2 weeks in advance and got to try it out. It was super cool! Great for an intimate dinner, and also great because it's a private room but there's no extra cost. It's teeny tiny, so you can only fit 5, maybe 6, people. Also, I wouldn't advise it for people with claustrophobia. The ceilings are high and there's a small window looking out to the bar, but it's definitely cramped.

Window looking out to the bar - perfect for ordering drinks and summoning the waiter

Cookshop

I've been dying to try Cookshop for brunch after my mom said how great it was. Jamie and I just went this morning and it was amazing! We got the Cookshop scramble and the burger. Both were fab. The scramble was scrambled eggs with creme fresh, caramelized onions, chives, and bacon. The creme fresh made it so creamy, and the caramelized onions made it sweet and went well with the saltiness of the bacon. Plus, I love when eggs are served with a salad.

We weren't planning on ordering the burger, but a girl next to us was eating it and it looked amazing. It's topped with bacon, pickled red onions, cheddar cheese, and chipotle ketchup. So juicy and decadent. The French fried were also great! So crispy and thin, delish with the chipotle ketchup. I highly recommend it for brunch!


Also, it's right off the Highline, so on a nice day it's great to take a stroll after brunch. We walked down back to the West Village and hoped we burned off a fraction of our food. Always feels good to take a walk after a big meal.