ABC Kitchen

A long-overdue trip to ABC Kitchen was in store for us over Labor Day weekend – hard to get into since it hit the scene last year, it took a while for us to plan ahead far enough to get a weekend reservation at this local, organic food hotspot.

I was recently reading an article about how 9/11 changed the landscape of New York City restaurants – places with grand, museum-like designs, dim lighting, club music and menus with fancy-shmancy ingredients and delicacies have had their heyday. In the face of a major catastrophe (and an economic downturn), NYC has become a place where low-key, casual and good-for-you dining is where it’s at. ‘Organic,’ ‘self-sustaining,’ ‘locally-grown’….these are words you hear quite often. And ABC Kitchen is at the heart of this trend, for a good reason. Hey, if Jean-Georges is behind something, it's usually good.

The design is completely cozy: lots of wood, soft lighting, a casual and warm almost barn-like feel. And adding to the barn-like feel is the fact that this place is big on vegetables and does them right. You can have a meat-free meal and be completely satisfied – veggies are definitely the star.

We took a sharing approach and got a bunch of appetizers – no entrees – which was a great way to go.

Roasted beets with housemade yogurt: these were great and if you’re a beet-lover, give these a try. The yogurt adds tanginess without too much flavor to take away from the freshness of the beets.

Crab toast with lemon aioli: extra crispy toast smothered with a crab salad. A tad on the oily side, but quiet delicious because of it.

Roast carrot and avocado salad, crunchy seeds, sour cream and citrus: By far the best dish of the evening – what seems to be a simple salad is bursting with flavor. The roasted carrots are the star and are perfectly complimented by the creaminess of the fresh avocado and sour cream, and contrasted nicely by the citrus dressing and crunchy seeds. Mmmmmm.

Pretzel-dusted calamari, marinara and mustard aioli: Good, but nothing to write home about. The mustard aioli was the best part of this dish, since we didn’t taste any pretzel flavor in the calamari crust.

Whole wheat pizza with spicy cacciatorini meatballs, habanero tomato sauce and ricotta: a nice, spicy pizza with fresh ingredients.

All in all, the ABC Kitchen experience is among the best – both from an atmosphere perspective and the quality of the food is top-notch. Go for the vegetables and soak up the pretty atmosphere and lighting (thanks to ABC Home, which is connected through the back of the restaurant) - and just kick back and enjoy.

April… The Missing Month!

We think we would be ignoring the elephant in the room if we didn’t explain our absence from this blog in April… No excuses, we completely dropped the ball. And for that, we are both sorry, and promise not to let it happen again, dear followers!

And if there is anything positive to take away from our hiatus, it’s that we both missed Restaurant Hoppers dearly and felt like a part of the dining experience was missing. We think blogging extends the lifespan of a meal & allows us to relive the experience.

While we were off the grid we headed to a bunch of restaurants, and even though we’re not going to do a write-up on each one of them, we’ll share with you the list & a few quick thoughts. If you are thinking about heading to any of these spots, please drop us a line and we’ll share with you our experience in more detail, and hopefully be able to provide you with some suggestions that will improve your dining experience:

Cafeteria – Great outdoor seating for people-watching. Mac & Cheese Spring Rolls and Mac & Cheese Sampler are heavenly. Turkey burger & salads are great as well.

Pepe Giallo – Great find! Cute, inexpensive, and delicious Italian food . Be sure to sit in the back garden area and once you catch a whiff of the truffle oil pasta, you won’t be able to order anything else.

Num Pang – Meatball, pulled pork, & pork belly sandwiches were all phenomenal.

Stand – Quality burger and a great beer selection. Didn’t try, but I hear milkshakes are also great.

Piccolo Angelo – Delicious Italian food, and the meatball entrée/app is worth the visit.

A Casa Fox – A delicious tapas restaurant that’s a fun place to hit up before going out on the weekend. Small and cramped quarters make for a social experience.

Tipsy Parson – Cute brunch spot… Mushroom Toast With Eggs was the best dish we had (out of 2). We'll definitely be coming back for the famed Luther Burger (Bacon-Cheeseburger in between two doughnuts)!

Mary’s Fish Camp – Small, long waits, stinks of fish, semi-expensive, and somehow we left with a smile on our face. Sharing a full fish was quite the experience & all the starters/sides were great – especially the corn!

Ardesia – Out-of-the-way wine bar with a happy hour until 8. Plus, a great selection & helpful service… Get in the way of it!

Grey Dog (breakfast, brunch, lunch & dinner) – The omelets, sandwiches, and salads are all phenomenal. You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu – meal, snack, or drink. It’s a local favorite of ours for any meal of the day.

Barmarche – A cozy spot in the West Village – eclectic drink menu and delicious crispy bass tacos.

Coppola’s East – Any pasta dish I’ve had at this Murray Hill staple has always been good.

Muzzarella’s – $6 for a quality chicken parm hero that’s as big as your entire arm!

La Carbonara – A surprisingly delicious Italian place on W. 14th street, among the hustle and bustle. This restaurant serves the classics but where they lack in creativity, they make up in flavor.

ABC Kitchen – This place deserves a full write-up, and we hope to give you one in a few weeks when we re-visit it. Very cool atmosphere in this new, sustainable Jean-Georges joint. Some of the shared plates fell flat but most were enjoyed thoroughly. Highlights: clam whole wheat pizza, mackerel sashimi.

Isabella's – BR Guest spot on the UWS does the trick if you are looking for a quality restaurant with a diverse menu. Outdoor seating for people-watching is a plus!

Dumont Burger – Come for the burger and stay for the burger, onion rings, & beer. The chipotle mayo for the onion rings (& frickles) is out-of-this-world good. A must-try for any burger lover out there!

Boqueria – Tapas, tapas, tapas at this Flatiron joint. Been here twice & never had anything bad so navigate the large menu with confidence.

Angelica Kitchen – A low-key vegetarian BYOB joint with some delicious options that don’t make you miss the meat.