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.

Frankies Spuntino (17)

SPUNTINO (spoon'tîno), noun: An informal meal or a snack; also, a casual Italian eatery.

If you're looking for a fresh, delicious Italian meal, you're not at a loss for options in NYC. What makes Frankies Spuntino better than the rest? The friendly faces and comfy feel…oh yeah, and the meatballs.

Frankies had long been on “the list” but due to the no reservations policy, it’s only appropriate for certain evenings. When Eric and I planned to grab a bite on Friday evening with no real plans after, this was a perfect destination. We walked in and were told it would be a half hour wait…we were expecting longer. The people who walked in five minutes later were told an hour and 15 minutes, so I guess we arrived during the sweet spot. We stood around the bar area with some wine, beer, bread and olive oil, conversing with the bartender about his favorite dishes, so the wait seemed to whiz by.

Upon sitting, we ordered the Cremini Mushroom & Truffle Oil crostini, which was good, but not nearly as delicious as our recent crostini binge at Corsino. We also ordered the Meatballs with Pine Nuts & Raisins, which were the star of the meal. They didn’t come with quite as much marinara as we needed to cover each bite, but regardless, they were a dish we would order again and again.

Eric got the house-made Cavetelli with Faiccos Hot Sausage & Browned Sage Butter, which he promptly devoured. Cavetelli is an interesting pasta because most people have no idea what it is. The best way to describe it would be to show you a picture. See below. The portion was large but not over-the-top, the pasta was perfectly cooked, the sausage added a ton of flavor & a nice kick, while the browned sage butter lightly coated it all and added a ton of flavor. All in all, a fantastic ordering decision.

I got the Roasted Vegetable Salad, which was a mix-up of beets, sunchokes, mushrooms and other yummy roasted vegetables. No lettuce in this salad…it was light and packed with flavor. On an evening when I didn't want to eat too heavy, this was the perfect choice.

Frankies is definitely a unique and cozy New York spot. We're looking forward to dining at Frankies (457) Sputino in Brooklyn...the original. Check it out!

Bobo

Labor Day weekend was our staycation and on Saturday evening, we headed west to Bobo with our pals Ilana and Max. These two get special mention for being cool and for knowing the head chef, which entitled us to some nice add-ons along the way. So, ALERT: some items that we received were not on the menu...please don't be too jealous.

Let me start off by saying Bobo definitely wins you over with its atmosphere right away. It's housed in a West Village townhouse and has two floors, oozing with soft lighting and eclectic decorations. It's a great spot to have a cocktail and some appetizers at the bar, and evokes the feeling that you may see Ernest Hemingway knocking a few back two stools away from you. Why? It just does.

We started out with the Ahi Tuna with avocado and cilantro, which was by far the most scrumptious bite of the evening. The dish seems simple but the tuna is fresh, thick and bursting with flavor - this appetizer is a must. We also got some fried oysters and turnip scallops - both which were delicious. Some add-ons that came out were savory pancakes with a tomatillo salsa for on top along with a beet salad. We were stuffed and hadn't even received the entrees yet!...but everything was top notch.

The ladies got the trout, which came with a lovely meyer lemon sauce and fresh vegetables. The men opted for meat. Eric got the cheeseburger, which was fat, juicy, and topped with fried leeks. Not what he was expecting, but a flavorful surprise nonetheless.

Alongside our entrees came some pequillo peppers stuffed with lamb sausage - if that doesn't get your mouth watering, you probably should stop reading our blog. Flavor, freshness, creativity...boom! Great dish.

On the side came a summer succotash, which was heavenly: fresh corn, butter and tomatoes, which melted together in your mouth. We also received some sautéed green onions, which were tasty. This place knows how to do its vegetables.

Dessert? ....Nah! We were way too full. But the bruleed cheesecake sounds rather gluttonous, so we'll have to come back and indulge further.

Bobo is a great spot for some dank eats and fresh veggies! http://www.bobonyc.com/#MENUS

Westville Chelsea

Yes, that's right. Westville just opened its 3rd location in the city. Their Chelsea spot is conveniently located a few blocks north of my apartment on 18th between 7th & 8th. This is great because Westville is one of those places that's perfect for brunch, dinner and delivery - what else does a New Yorker need? It just opened up last week, so there hasn’t been much of a wait and they only accept cash. A plus is that the Chelsea Westville is bigger than the other two, with booths seating 4-6 people in the back plus a long bar with stools in the front.

They have a solid brunch menu and do one of my favorite make-your-own eggs dishes in the city. Instead of making omelets, they make "mashes," so that all of the ingredients you choose are mixed up together with the eggs and then scrambled. This makes for even distribution and makes it easier to eat! Their accompanying Portuguese muffins are yummy – they are like English muffins, only fluffier and bigger.

Eric went for the fried eggs over turkey hash. Two eggs any way you want it (in this case, sunny side up) are placed over a nice portion of turkey hash. The hash is very similar to mashed potatoes, only it has chunks of turkey & veggies mixed in. When the yolk runs into the hash it makes for a scrumptious bite! Throw in some toast & a side salad, and you have a pretty good start to your day for $9.

I also went a few days later for dinner with my roommates and got to take advantage of what Westville is known for - their market vegetables. They have a daily market vegetable list that is extensive, but more or less stays the same. For $13 you can get four veggies on a plate or you can order bigger single portions. We went with the Dijon cauliflower, bok choy with ginger and garlic, kale with scallions and the roasted butternut squash. Some other veggies of note are the Brussels sprouts and the zucchini with roasted tomatoes and mozzarella – every vegetable I’ve ever had there has been delicious.

The vegetables are a great starter to whet your appetite for………..wait for it……..the best veggie burger you’ll ever have. You don’t need to be a vegetarian or even a veggie lover to love this burger. It’s super flavorful and crispy on the outside, with a Portuguese muffin as the bun (see above, it’s delicious). The burger is topped with sautéed mushrooms and tartar sauce, which take it up a notch. This veggie burger always does the trick.

If you’re in the East Village, West Village or Chelsea and haven’t been to Westville yet, get involved!

http://www.westvillenyc.com/