Neighborhood Eats - Greenwich Village Edition

Last week, Jess & I moved into our new apartment in the heart of Greenwich Village. Naturally, our first move was to explore the food in the neighborhood.

Greenwich Village Bistro was the first local joint we checked out, and it was a cool spot. Originally, we sat inside but the live music was a bit too loud & we couldn't hear each other speak. I think the manager told the trumpet player to chill out, but the decibel level still wasn't conducive to having a conversation. This was probably our fault for coming here for dinner around 9:30.

We parked ourselves outside & had the best of both worlds- live music, people watching on Carmine Street, and a nice end-of-summer breeze. The food was stellar (burger for me & shrimp with rice for Jess). The beer & wine were up to par, and the bill didn't set us back too much. Is this the kind of place we'll go to for a mind-blowing meal? Definitely not - but if we're looking for some good eats, a solid atmosphere, and some drinks, then GVB satisfies.

Suzie, Suzie...Suzie, Suzie! Suzie's chinese food! We had been told by numerous people that we NEEDED to try Suzie's ASAP! We got delivery one night and it was better than your average Chinese food for sure. We each got a "healthy dish" (Jess got chicken & shrimp and I went with chicken & mixed veggies) sautéed with their brown sauce. It’s nice to know that we have good Chinese food right across the street from our apt - some places can be seedy & gross, but Suzie's is the real deal.

Saving the best for last? You bet I am! Cafe Habana on Prince Street in SoHo was another spot recommended to us. We ordered take-out, took the 10 minute walk over there, and ate our sandwiches on one of the benches outside. They also have a sit down restaurant next door, but waits are usually long. Per my friends' reco, I went with their famous Cuban sandwich. Was it the best ever? No, but I'm not a Cuban connoisseur either. Was it damn good? Yes, definitely. Each bite had a nice amount of pork/ham and loads of flavor. It was the kind of sandwich I was sad to see end. Jess got the portobello and goat cheese torta with spinach, jalapenos, lettuce and tomato. An enjoyable sandwich, although the jalapenos dominate instead of adding some spice to each bite. Another highlight of this meal was the ridiculously tasty Mexican corn ($2) that they serve on the side. We each had a husk & loved every buttery, creamy bite. We'll definitely be back here for many meals.

We'll continue to explore our new neighborhood & update you on local eats we think you should check out....stay tuned.

Yerba Buena Perry (Brunch)

After running the Brooklyn Half-Marathon, Jess & I headed to Yerba Buena Perry for a hearty, celebratory meal with our parents. The outside of YBP is very unassuming, and before entering, we were unsure if the place was even open. This would be OK if the restaurant was packed, but it was at best 1/3 full. Makes us think that the look of the exterior is doing the restaurant a disservice. Many passerby's wouldn't even know that inside is a Latin restaurant with great food & tasty cocktails.

The "good bartender" was behind the bar so we all indulged in a celebratory drink - bloody mary's, blueberry gimlets, & a mojito. Everyone enjoyed their respective drinks & every last drop was devoured by the meal's end ;-)

The guacamole to start was smoky, chunky, & topped with queso fresco. I'm not the biggest fan of smoky guac, but this worked well with the layer of cheese on top balancing it out. The chips were a bit salty and served already dipped into the guac. Interesting presentation.

We ordered the sausage chorizo side dish as an appetizer & it comes with one sweet sausage & one spicy chorizo. Both were stellar and some people liked the sweet better, while others preferred the spicy... all about what tickles your taste buds.

Jess got the tilapia fish tacos, which were quite good but a little weak on the portion size. We both felt that for $13 they should serve you 3 tacos, rather than 2 small tacos. The dish did come with a healthy portion of rice & beans, but that's not why anyone orders that dish & YBP should know that.

There was no complaining about the portion of my dish, the Cubano Sandwich:

In between two pieces of freshly toasted baguette was serrano ham, BBQ suckling pig, brie cheese, chipotle mustard, & pickles. This sandwich was hearty & delicious... exactly what I was looking for! The crunchy bread was perfect, the brie cheese was strong enough to cut through the layers of pork, & both the ham & pig were uber-tasty. Served alongside Papas Provenzal - long, thin potato chips - and a side salad, this dish was a big winner in my book!!

To satisfy our sweet tooth, the table split the churros - served with mexican hot chocolate, that's so sweet it should be illegal. One mini churro per person with a follow-up sip of hot chocolate hit the spot!

Worth mentioning was that the french toast was out-of-this-world amazing.

We'll definitely be back to YBP to sample this savory dish for brunch & see what they can offer to a couple of restaurant hoppers for dinner.