Mermaid Inn

June 14th-

So.......my husband and I thought we were somewhat safe in planning a semi casual/romantic dinner on the upper west side at 9:00 pm on a Saturday evening in the summer when most of the annoying people migrate to the Hamptons. Anyway, it appears, we have much to learn. We were seated in the back.....not where we wanted to be, but we had been there before and had a wonderful time, so we felt ok about it. Although, when we sat down and observed all the gray hairs in our midst, I was concerned for a moment. What had we done wrong? We dressed well. Had we called too late? Our waiter was friendly. Our cocktails were good.....the cucumber martini is to die for. The oysters were amazing! So far....so good. Then.... the table of seven arrived. They had a two year old....mind you....they didn't arrive until at least nine thirty. A two year old up at nine thirty? Really? You would take him out? Too cheap for a sitter? Think everyone loves a side of screaming two year on a Saturday evening? We should have bolted at once. But, we ordered our entrees....the skate and the daily special which was the mackerel. Meanwhile, this child was walking about......cooing and whining in a normal annoying baby sort of way......but the parents were oblivious, of course. We shouldn't have been surprised as the upper west side is kind of known for its obnoxious, inconsiderate parents, but we wanted to be optimistic. Our entrees arrived and frankly, they were just plain so so. Both of the pieces of fish were fried, which is my least favorite way to have fish, and the mackerel had a very strong fishy taste. I did really like what came with the mackerel....cauliflower, olives and capers. I really liked that combination of flavors. My mouth wasn't bored with that. I may even have to make that myself at home. However, the skate came with succotash that was so infused with bacon, that it was all I could taste. I wouldn't order either one again. I may be inclined to go back and sit at the bar and have oysters and a cucumber martini. So, to sum it up....the food wasn't as good as we had hoped, and the atmosphere wasn't what we were looking for at all. We hadn't realized we would be eating amongst the Chucky Cheese crowd. I thought it was just me, because Nathan never gets annoyed with anything ever, but to my surprise as we left he said to the hostess ever so politely, "I know its the upper west side, but maybe you could keep the children out." Yeah! Go Nathan! Anyways.....the Mermaid Inn.....pretty much sucked for us tonight, but I guess, its a great place to go if you're too cheap for a sitter.

Bistro Citron

June 5th-

After having an overpriced drink and a greasy, commonplace appetizer at a restaurant close to where I work, Nathan and I decided to venture into Bistro Citron for some real food. We ordered a bottle of wine to start with and they brought us their usual complimentary bread, butter and pate.....which is oh so very good. The butter is cold and so sweet, the pate....so rich....and together on a piece of bread.....heaven. Nathan ordered the hanger steak with shallots accompanied by French fries.....which sounds much more delicious when you read it off the menu....and I had the brie.......yes.....for dinner.....just cheese. I love to have wine and cheese for dinner.....must be the Shanteau in me. The French waiter seemed to understand. We were both ever so content. This place just never disappoints.......and we barely spent more here for this fantastic, decadent meal than we did a mere hour before for our overpriced drinks and commonplace appetizer. Go Citron!

The Flatiron Lounge/Jane

May 16th-

The Flatiron Lounge

It was Friday night and despite the rain, I wanted to go out. So, my husband suggested we go to The Flatiron Lounge. When I walked in, I instantly remembered that we had been here years before when visiting Manhattan. It's a great place to hang out, chat and have drinks. The interior is art deco, which adds a bit of old glamor to the ambiance, but it isn't fancy, and it is pretty dark in there, so it still feels very casual and welcoming. The drink menu is the main reason to come. Everything is unusual and interesting. I fell in love with a jasmine martini myself. You could really taste the jasmine....it was delicate and so refreshing. It even had a pretty little flower in it as a garnish. Nathan had a few different bourbon/whiskey based concoctions.....which I now cannot remember the names of, since I am writing this a week after we were actually there.....the main reason for me writing this blog in the first place....so I can remember where we went and what we had. Anyway, I recommend coming here for fun drinks and good conversation. It's a youthful crowd, so you don't feel like you're drinking with grandpa.

Jane

By this time, we were starving, so we headed off to Jane. Apparently the same people own/run The Smith, which we both liked, also own/run Jane.....and it was recommended to us by one of Nathan's coworkers, Sarika, who we believe to have pretty good taste. So, to Jane we went. Jane was hip and fun, and the food was delicious. Our waiter was this fabulously flaming gay African American man with a mohawk and I loved him. The music was all 80s/90s.....and this energized us. We started out with the salmon, avocado tartare which was so fresh tasting and full of flavor. Nathan wasn't as impressed with it as I was, but if you are a lover of salmon and avocado like I am, you will adore this dish. The next dish did trump it, however. It was one of the specials.....carpacio with a fried poached egg. Oh my god! Talk about decadent and delicious! The carpacio was so tender, it pretty much melted in your mouth, and the egg was perfectly crunchy on the outside and full of gooey goodness on the inside. Yum! I have been replaying the experience of eating this in my head all week. It was that good. In fact, I don't even remember what we had for an entree anymore. Just go to Jane.

Dovetail

May 22nd-

Last night my husband and I went to Dovetail for dinner. We had waited a while to eat here and were eager to see what Dovetail had to offer. I saw the chef on The Martha Stewart Show one day and made reservations immediately. That was about a month ago. I was wondering how I could have walked by this place almost everyday and never noticed it. Now I know. It is very discreet....located on 77th, not on one of the main streets. The interior is "spa like", to use my husband's description. The colors are muted. It is quiet and private. And.....you have ample room to yourself, unlike some places where they squish you in like sardines. You can actually hear what your dining partner is saying here, and you don't have to share your conversation with the rest of New York. What a novel idea! The staff was very friendly, knowledgeable and attentive. I felt as if these people had been in the business for quite some time and planned on staying in it, versus being served by wannabe actors just trying to support themselves between failed auditions. If they were actors....they were good! The food was out of this world! This restaurant is on a level way above the places we usually haunt. Everything was perfect.....and I mean everything. The menu was interesting. There were things that I ate that I never had before.....like sweetbreads. There were concoctions that had never dreamed of.....like Basil Ice Cream and Frozen Avocado Parfait. It was very exciting just to read the menu! First, they brought out some complimentary corn and cheese bread. I usually don't eat the bread, but this had cheese in it. It was good....nothing too crazy....just tasted like cornbread. Next came the amuse bouche.....a spoon of what tasted like caviar and a piece of turnip on a skewer. Ok....I'm intrigued. The first appetizer they brought to us was the Maine sea scallops with cashews and banana curry. Wow! More please! The curry would have been easy enough to make. We couldn't taste the banana in it at all, but the scallops were cooked to perfection. Next, they brought us the sweetbreads with fennel and poached egg. This was a very interesting dish for me, since I haven't had anything like this before. I can't say that it was my favorite dish of the night, but it was beautifully presented and quite good. The crab ravioli with chorizo and snow peas was next......marvelous! The pasta was light, and the crab was very tasty and not overpowered. You could taste every element of the dish. In fact, that was one of the things I really liked about this place. Each ingredient was very present, (except the banana in the curry). Each was there for a reason. The menu is very thought out. For our entree, we ordered the rack and shank of lamb with ratatouille. The lamb came out rare, which I liked, but I think Nathan might have preferred a little more done. At this point, I was willing to eat whatever the chef gave me, since I was now in awe of him and completely trusting. I was not disappointed. It was very satisfying and decadent. I loved the sauces that were drizzled on the plate alongside the meat....they added just a touch of something else to make it even more interesting. We ended the meal with a trio of ice cream.....rum raisin, chai latte and basil. This was the best ice cream that has ever touched my lips! Each one was a wonderful flavor in its own right, and the combination was very complimentary. My favorite was the basil, though. It was amazingly fragrant. It just exuded summer! I would have bought a pint and took it home with us if they would have let us. Of course, then I would have ended up eating the entire thing for breakfast. After that we parted ways and they sent us home with peanut butter granola for our breakfast in the morning. I don't really care too much for granola in general, but the offer left me feeling touched. What a magical place! Two thumbs, eight fingers and ten toes up! Amazing!

Cafe du Soleil

May 17th-

We finally drug ourselves out of bed around noon on Saturday, and were absolutely famished! There was a cute little cafe I had remembered walking by the week before, and now I was on a mission to find it. We discovered it was on Broadway and 104th.....an area that we seldomly frequented...except for when I have to truck to the post office on 104th to pick up a package, which is how we happened to walk by this adorable bistro in the first place. So far, Saturday was a perfect day.....sunny, warm.....whenever you think of perfect weather, this is the weather you think of. We walked up to this cute little cafe with its sunny yellow picket fence in front that enclosed the tables outside, and asked to sit out front. A polite waiter with a fantastic French accent took our order, and I waited eagerly for my food as I sipped my delicious Mimosa, which was made with freshly squeezed orange juice, and reminisced about Paris. We were swept away with the "Frenchness" of it all, and talked of planning a weekend trip there. The food arrived, and it was just beautiful. A full plate of colorful, lightly dressed greens, handsome Crepes de Poulete, (chicken and mushroom crepes) and Benedicte Norvegienne, (poached eggs, smoked salmon, Hollandaise sauce and potato pancakes). I was sitting outside in a fabulous cafe, across from my husband, the sun on my shoulders, sipping a mimosa, and getting ready to indulge in my favorite brunch dish. Words from a song went through my head..."heaven, I'm in heaven". Nathan enjoyed his crepes and my Bendicte Norvegienne did not disappoint. This is my new favorite brunch spot!

Cafe Ronda

May 21st-

Last night we met up with Nathan's cousin Shulpa, and went to have a bite to eat at Cafe Ronda. It was close by, and we had eaten there before and enjoyed it. Thankfully, we enjoyed it again. We began with the sangria, nothing out of the ordinary. It was exactly what you would expect when ordering sangria. We then moved on to order several tapas to share....Deditos de Yuca (yuca croquettes stuffed with Bulgarian Feta cheese and scallions accompanied by a roasted garlic Rocoto dip), Cauliflower, Gambas Ajillo (sauteed shrimp in extra virgin olive oil with garlic and red pepper), fried Calamari and the special fish of the day, Tilapia. The Tilapia was nothing special....and it looked like nothing special when it came on piled up on top of itself on a plate....boring. The cauliflower followed suit....it tasted healthy. Neither was bad, mind you.....just ordinary. The calamari on the other hand was equisite! It was bathed in some kind of sweet, spicy sauce and was cooked perfectly. It was one of the daily specials.......they should move it to their regular menu. It was so much more interesting than the average fried calamari dish served with tomato sauce that everyone and their brother serves. The shrimp came out cooked perfectly, no complaints there. Although rich, the croquettes were another favorite of mine. The gooey, cheesiness inside the fried yuca was a pleasure to experience. Nathan and Shulpa wanted dessert, so we ended with Mousse de Algorrobina with berry sauce and pisco twist. I am not one for desserts usually, but this was delicious.....as if flan became a mousse. It was small, light and tasty. Both times I have been to Cafe Ronda, I have left happy.

The City Grill

May 14th-

Leah, Loren and I went out for dinner last night and chose The City Grill, mainly for its location, (close to work). The decor was warm and inviting with lots of Mahogany, and the bar area even has a history. It was brought over from Germany. I can't remember in what year this occurred, but trust me, by American standards, it is old. The statuesque flower arrangements added a nice touch as well. There is just something about any place that takes the time to pay attention to flowers that I really like. When I see that, I feel like they are going to take care of me, as well. However, on the flip side, I did hear screams coming from some brat in the bar area......a personal favorite of mine.....children in a bar. I guess, this is not surprising for the Upper West Side. On to the food.....I was way too hungry, so of course, I ordered something way too heavy....the Lobster Ravioli with crawfish ragout and basil cream sauce. The pasta itself was so so and the sauce was way too rich. I couldn't taste the lobster at all. It was definitely not the best pasta I have ever had.....more along the lines of an Olive Garden pasta. However, it was edible.....not memorable, but enough to stop my hunger pains. I was wishing I had followed Leah's mom's advise and ordered the Nicoise Salad, or even the Seafood Cobb Salad that I had contemplated. I was especially wishing this as I was walking the twenty three blocks home, because my dinner was not agreeing with me. Would I go back? Maybe.....but I would sit at the cool old German bar and order a salad.

The Ocean Grill

May 12th-

Sherri and I made plans to go out for a quick drink after work, and settled on the location of the bar at Ocean Grill on the Upper West Side. I walked in and was immediately glad that I was not dressed in my usual way casual work attire that day. I had no idea what to expect. This place was beautiful and elegant. Upon arriving at the bar, I ordered a dirty martini...up with Grey Goose and olives. It was perfect. Although I wasn't there to eat, I couldn't resist a quick glance at the menu where I discovered my favorite thing.....oysters! I felt compelled to try them. I had the Blue Point and the Kumomoto (Washington).....superb. As we left, they handed us a bag that held two breakfast muffins. How nice is that? I admit, I ate one on the way home and it was delicious.....and I am not usually a big fan of muffins. I can't wait to bring Nathan here for dinner sometime!

Cesca

May 9th-

The rainy, cold weather made walking into Cesca on the Upper West Side seem like the perfect decision. The decor was warm, cozy and inviting. While waiting to be seated (for only a brief moment) in the bar area, I had already planned on coming back just to enjoy a drink. The dining room felt a little like the lobby of a boutique hotel, but so welcoming, that I didn't mind. We started with the Spicy Parmesan and Prosciutto Fritters. They were very rich, but very good. The perfect thing to eat when you're starving, cold and slightly damp. From there, we moved on to the Coach Farm Goat Cheese Ravioli with pear tomatoes, garlic and basil. It was simple and delicious. To continue our feast of comfort food, we ended with the Slow Roasted Half Duck with frisee, green beans and roasted potato with mustard vinaigrette. Yum! This turned out to be an excellent meal! I was even able to overlook the fact that the room was full of grey hairs. I guess, this shows that in some cases, age does bring wisdom.

Dallas BBQ

May 4th-

I was recently greeted with a shocked expression when I admitted to a coworker that I had not been to Dallas BBQ, which is right down the street from where I work on the Upper West Side. Naturally, curiosity got the best of me, and I felt compelled to check it out. On Sunday, Nathan and I did just that. I walked down into this immense amount of space, and though it looked like they wanted you to think they tried to make an attempt at creating a "western" feel, it felt very much like a cafeteria with ugly carpeting. Adding to the cafeteria-like atmosphere was the obnoxious child at the table next to me who proceeded to scream "I want to go home" at the top of her lungs for the duration of my meal. I had to agree with her. I wanted her to go home, too. Despite all of this, I was still curious. I was told the margaritas were great, but upon looking at their description in the menu, I was suspicious. I ordered one anyways. After receiving it, I realized my suspicions were dead on. It was your typical cheesy looking, came from a mix and is oh too sickening sweet margarita. I remained in my seat. I still had to taste the food. The food was good. the ribs were very moist and the sauce that was covering them was tasty. Next time......takeout.

Metro Diner

May 3rd-

I woke up late and starving.....and was in no mood for my usual breakfast of hot tea and puffed spelt cakes with cream cheese. So....we set off in search of Metro Diner on the Upper West Side. We ate here once before and they made perfect bacon. This was what I wanted to eat again. We got right in.....one booth left, seemingly just for us. I ordered eggs over easy with crispy bacon and wheat toast. Nathan ordered an egg, cheese and bacon sandwich. We both had coffee, which was surprisingly tasty for a diner. Nathan liked his sandwich, but just by looking at it, I could tell that I wouldn't have....the bun was huge....way too much bread. There is a delicate balance in the ratio between bread to stuff in the middle. I like the bread to be the supporting actor, personally. My eggs were perfect. My bacon.....not. I may have to give up entirely on ever ordering bacon again. It seems that no one really knows how to make extra crispy bacon, and whenever, by some miracle, you are lucky enough to be presented with some, it is just a fluke! Maybe I should start asking for almost burnt bacon. I wonder if that would work. All in all, I really like this place. The food is good, cheap and fast.......and the service is always friendly.

The Smith

May 2nd-

Before seeing "Love, Pain and Vice Versa" at the film fest......(which by the way was great), Nathan and I went to The Smith in the East Village for dinner. The place was hopping.....full of stylish, young people out with friends. It had a very modern feel. We were early, so we had a drink at the crowded bar while we waited for our table....amazingly enough, someone was just leaving, so I scored a seat. No fancy cocktails today....just wine. (After all, we have to stay awake for the movie we were going to see afterwards.) They serve the wine to us in regular short drinking glasses....not wine glasses, not even stemless wine glasses....just plain glasses. It was refreshingly unpretentious. We were escorted to our table pretty much on time. The menu was interesting.....some comfort food, like burgers, mashed potatoes and mac and cheese, and also some light salad and fish dishes. We chose the Crab Hush Puppies with Old Bay Aioli to start with. I didn't think I would like these when we ordered them. (Nathan wanted them.) I thought they would be greasy, heavy, bready and tasteless, like all of the hush puppies I have ever eaten in my life, but I was wrong. Although fried, they were only a touch heavy and not greasy.....and there was a lot of crab in each puppy. The aioli sauce was the best part, of course. I live for sauces! It was plentiful as well....which made me happy. There is just nothing worse than skimping on the sauce as far as I'm concerned! After that, Nathan had the Cheeseburger Deluxe which came with fries, and I had the Lamb Schnitzel which was served on a bed of mashed potatoes......nothing wrong with that! Why we got two entrees, I don't know. Our eyes were definitely bigger than our stomachs, because it was way too much food for us. One entree would have sufficed. The lamb schnitzel was very good. The outside was covered in Panko and Parmesan, very crispy......total comfort food. The burger was full of flavor.....but gigantic! With the bun, it must have been six inches tall! The shoestring fries weren't greasy, but they weren't really anything special. Besides the food, the service was friendly and attentive, and they have a photo booth in the basement where the communal bathroom is. You can take the standard four photos for three dollars....fun! We will return.

Gabriela's

April 27th-

After work, Nathan and I met at the bar at Gabriela's for a drink and some dinner. We consider it our neighborhood "go to" for a casual drink, since it is so close to our place, and never feels stuffy or formal. A great place to relax. As we snack on the complimentary chips and salsa, (which, by the way, taste a lot better with a side of sour cream), we ordered our usual....classic margaritas with salt....never do they disappoint. For an appetizer, we chose the Ceviche Campenchano. It is filled with shrimp, octopus, fish, avocado, tomato, and lime juice.......so refreshingly good. Then, we moved on to one of our favorites......Pescado (fish) Tacos. The tacos are consistently good, well seasoned, and full of flavor. However, I would have preferred them with a hard taco shell. The soft shell just does not give the dish enough texture. That being said, I will keep returning over and over again.....I think the bartender already knows me.

The House / Olives

April 25th-

After seeing Eden at the Tribeca Film Festival, we went to The House in Gramercy Park at 10:00 pm for dinner. For our appetizers, we ordered Mini Lamb Burgers and Mushrooms with Polenta. I thought the highlight would be the lamb burgers. I was wrong. The lamb didn’t have much flavor, and was overcooked. However, the mushrooms with polenta was to die for! The mushrooms were cooked so perfectly. They were so rich. The polenta was made with marscapone which gave it a very smooth texture and slightly sweet taste…..amazing! Then, we ordered the Lobster Club which was disappointing. They could have just as well left the lobster out, because we couldn’t taste it anyway. Even after making the heavily toasted triangle of sandwich into an open-faced version of itself, I still could not distinguish any hint of lobster…..just toast, tomatoes and arugula. Since we only scored one out of three, we had port and scotch for dessert, which by the way, did not disappoint. Afterwards, we shot into the bar at Olives to find shelter from the rain that we were not prepared for, and warmed up by continuing with a second scotch. The vibe was lively, modern and fun…..great place for a drink and some private conversation.

Elettaria

April, 19th-

Nathan and I went to Elettaria, located in the village, at 8:30 pm. The atmosphere was dark and cozy….low wooden ceilings…..nice vibe at the bar….the kitchen in the back is entirely open and bright white. The tables, however were way too close together, and offered absolutely no privacy. In fact, it was impossible not to hear every word the two older gentlemen next to us uttered…at least some of their conversation was about the love of a dog. The service was a little slow, but they’re new, so that is par for the course. The waitresses wear these shiny forest green jester-looking uniforms that look like they came from the middle ages. Both of the cocktails, the Kentucky Firing Squad (Nathan) and the Eastern Sour (me) were very tasty…..not too watered down. For our first appetizer we had the Crabmeat Resala, which surprisingly came with quite a bit of delicious, sweet crab, but the gnocchi were strange little fried teeny weeny hush puppy like pellets…..not too tasty. We also had the Lamb Sausage with came with raita. This was absolutely the best thing I ate at the restaurant. It was just one four inch piece of sausage, and I wanted more! So delish! We shared the Halibut in coconut, with fingerlings and tapioca which we both found to be overcooked a bit. It was very mild, nothing special. We could do a better job ourselves at home. None of the plates were big portions, so we tried dessert as well…..the Chocolate Financier. It was described as having a curry peanut ganach and chocolate brittle, so I was interested. The brittle was great. The rest was not. I would come back, order the fun cocktails at the bar and nibble on the appetizers in the future.