Joseph Leonard

We went out to Joseph Leonard – a restaurant that has long been on our list, and should be on yours too - this past Friday night. Resting on the corner of Waverly & Grove in a converted one-bedroom apartment, Joseph Leonard has a great vibe. You walk in and are immediately greeted by an L-shaped bar and classic rock (Clapton, Talking Heads, etc) blasting from the speaker system.

With a bar on the ground floor and the kitchen "upstairs" (just a few of them), JL has very limited seating and one is expected to have to wait for a table on the weekend. We were shocked when we were brought right to a table on the upper level. SCORE!

It looked like everyone sitting at the bar was socializing and having a great time - it's definitely that kind of place. There are also seats right in front of the kitchen, which seemed fun since the chef was chatting with customers and it's always a plus to be able to see your food being cooked!

Instead of bread on the table, they have out a jar of mini pickles – double score! We started off with a couple of their cocktails & a handful of their daily selection of oysters. On this night they had some from two northeast states that we can't remember. No matter where they were from, they were damn tasty and went down very easy with our drinks...a great way to kick things off.

On to the main course & a couple more cocktails (they make a mean old fashioned)... Jess ordered the cod, which was crispy on the outside and served with confit red peppers, yukon potatoes and a salsa verde. All the flavors went well together and made for a filling and satisfying dish.

While Jess was the one tipped off to the treasure that is JL, Jess was Eric's tipster on what to order. The consensus of JL eaters is that the braised pork hock is the thing to get. Since Eric is a sucker for signature dishes, he signed up for some hock, despite not having a clue what he was getting himself into. The waitress explained that it’s brined and then braised overnight….and then deep fried. So, he knew that this couldn't end too poorly. Served alongside an arugula salad, this pork hock was down right filthy (in a good way). With a crispy exterior and meat on the interior that was falling off the bone, it was the right choice. Each bite was scrumptious & loaded with pork-y goodness. We quickly understood why NY Magazine put this on their "Best Of Pork" list.

We also got a side of the brussels sprouts that need to be mentioned because of the unique way they were prepared... shredded, roasted, & then topped with some sriracha (hot sauce). Delicious!

There was not enough room for dessert so we continued to sip our drinks as the meal came to a close. We loved our dinner at Joseph Leonard and will definitely be back when we want a tasty meal out with some cocktails.

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!

Pearls, Pearls, Pearls…..Oyster Bar

Last Saturday night, we strolled over to Pearl Oyster Bar, a seafood lover's gem amidst the chaos of Greenwich Village. It is known by many to have a top-of-the-line lobster roll & strangely enough, Eric had never had a lobster roll before (yikes!), so this was going to be a special evening for him. Even stranger, we walked in and pretty much sat right down in the bar area. You can usually count on at least an hour wait, so this was music to our appetites! (Sitting in the bar area does mean that they’ll rush your meal along a little quicker, though. If you want to nosh at a slower pace, you should probably sit in the dining room so you don’t get evil stares from the people waiting at the bar for a table while you milk that last sip of wine.)

We started out with a small bucket of steamers and the fried oysters – two solid appetizers. The steamers are a fun “get involved” appetizer and let’s face it, anything you dip in butter is going to be good. The fried oysters come on top of a delicious tartar sauce and again, anything fried is going to be good. I’ll give Pearl a thumbs up for not screwing either of these up, but I wouldn’t say either were OUT of THIS WORLD fantastic.

The star of the evening was by far the lobster roll, which is what you should get at Pearl, hands down. Eric’s world was rocked. What comes in an unassuming bun is a big ole heap of lobster meat mixed with a light coating of mayo and herbs. No celery in this roll…straight up lobsta. And overflowing on the other side of the plate are shoestring fries, a crispy and salty complement.

Jess went with the pan roasted cod, as she had already hit up the lobster roll another time and wasn’t in the mood. The cod was fresh and had a browned exterior that made for a nice texture contrast to the flaky fish. The dish came with sautéed snap peas and almonds and was good, but not fantabulous like the LR.

Pearl Oyster Bar is a place where you can always have a good time & a great meal and is a must for NYC seafood lovers…

Alidoro

One of the first things my sister Elissa said to me after I told her the location of our new apartment was that I had to try this incredible sandwich shop on Sullivan Street.  After doing some digging, she remembered that the name of the shop was Alidoro & it's located on Sullivan between Spring & Prince. 

After meeting for lunch 5 months later, I now get where her enthusiasm comes from. The shop is a hole in the wall and normally you'd walk right by and think nothing of it. Looks can be deceiving. The inside has a cluttered feel, as the walls are lined with Italian books & pictures and there are two tables stuffed in a corner. There's enough seating for 6-8 people and barely enough room to stand and wait in line. This is one of the reasons why there's often a line out the door. 

As for the service... there are two people behind the counter making each sandwich fresh to order. I read some reviews in which the woman was referred to as the "Sandwich Nazi" and I can see why. She yells at you to give your order and if you speak too fast, she's not afraid to yell some more. There's also a long list of "NO's" taped to the wall to ensure that diners aren't foolish enough to ask for salt, pepper, basil, tomatoes, or anything else you might expect at a restaurant. This is no ordinary restaurant and you better get that in your head before you speak to the Sandwich Nazi. It takes a little while for the guy to make your sandwich because he's half slicing your meat and half watching whatever is on the 10 inch TV on his side.

You deal with it because when you finally sit down to enjoy your sandwich, you're transported to the Italian countryside. Full disclosure: I've never been to Italy. But if the sandwiches there are half as good as what they've got at Alidoro, then I can't wait to get there!

All of the ingredients in your sandwich are assembled after you place your order and you can taste the freshness of the meat & veggies in every bite. I ordered the Pinocchio sandwich on sfilatino bread (hallowed out so it's nice & crunchy and not too bread-y) while Elissa got her favorite, the Pavarotti, on focaccia bread. The pinocchio is stuffed with prosciutto, sopressata, fresh mozzarella, sweet roasted peppers, & olive paste. The pavarotti has salami, smoked mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes, artichokes, & sweet roasted peppers. Personally, I thought the pinocchio was superior to the pavarotti but it's all a matter of your personal taste. Order whichever sandwich tickles your taste buds. Check out the full menu here.

The sandwiches cost anywhere from $9-11 and if you veer away from their white or whole wheat breads then you're going to have to pay $1-2 for the bread of your choice. This may seem to be a bit much but the sandwiches are HUGE and can easily last for 2 meals. We both stopped eating half-way through and were quite satisfied. The other half made for a great dinner alongside the red curry tomato soup Jess cooked up later in the day.

I'm not gonna lie.. I was a bit skeptical about Lis' recommendation, but I was proven wrong. Alidoro is an amazing sandwich shop and I will definitely be back real soon to try some of the other oddly-named sandwiches on their menu.

Bar Pitti

A classic village Italian eatery. A great place to eat outside. Consistent in delivering delicious meals. There aren't too many NYC restaurants like it. On the first warm day of the year (in February?) we headed to Bar Pitti in hopes of sitting outside for a Friday night meal. As the sun set, it became a tad cold so we opted for an indoor table.

Having lived in Italy for 5 months while studying abroad, I can honestly say that this place feels like a true Italian restaurant - the host, chefs and waiters are all Italian and the dishes are authentic Italian, not Americanized or fancy Mario Batali Italian (not that there's anything wrong with that).

We started off with some house wine and the caprese salad with burrata, which comes in a huge blob like this:

I certainly learned what I was missing all these years by getting buffalo mozzarella instead. Burrata is more expensive but once you cut through the outer shell, the cheese oozes out and is creamy and delicious. Burrata is made from mozzarella and cream and literally means "buttered" in Italian. The cheese with fresh tomato and basil was heavenly. The texture was like a mix between ricotta and mozzarella.

Eric went for the Rigatoni Pitti: turkey sausage, peas, cream, tomatoes & parmigiano. The dish was just enough pasta (cooked just right) and each bite was just creamy enough - perfect balance between the meat, peas and cream.

Jess went with a chicken special: grilled chicken over greens, leeks and sundried tomatos. There was also a lemon dressing that really brightened up the dish and made each bite flavorful and delicious.

This is a great local spot and we're happy to be around the corner! We'll be back again real soon for an outdoor meal when the sun stays out til later in the evening!

Welcome to this place we call PARK CITY!

After having a blast in Vail last winter, we decided that going out west every winter for ski trip for the rest of our lives is a smart move.  We've stuck with that plan and this year, our travels took us to Park City, Utah. This cute, artsy mountain town is 30-45 minutes outside of Salt Lake City and the drive through the mountains is breathtaking - especially when you're not driving in a VW Bug the morning after a snow storm...next year we will be splurging for a 4-wheel drive vehicle.

While we couldn't tell much of a difference between the quality of snow, connoisseurs say that Utah has high quality "pow pow" & some of the best skiing in the country (I guess that's why Salt Lake City hosted the Winter Olympics in 2002). Surrounded by 3 resorts - Park City, The Canyons, & Deer Valley (beware: skiers only!) - your options are plentiful & you could easily spend a week or more shredding the gnar without ever going down the same trail twice.

We spent 4 nights & 3 days in Park City and had ourselves a ball.  We stayed on Main Street at the Treasure Mountain Inn. Mainly because of the location & affordability, we would recommend this hotel to anyone going to PC. Naturally, we did lots of research before heading out there and spent our evenings dining at the following spots:

Easy Street Brasserie

Located on Main Street in The Sky Lodge rests a beautiful, classy French restaurant. The dining room has a lodge feel to it with exposed wood & a fireplace.  We decided to go all out and after putting in our order for two dirty martini's & a half dozen oysters, we were off to a good start. 

Highlights included the calamari appetizer, a wonderful server, and an act of G-d that forced Eric to order the delicious Easy Street Burger (blue cheese, caramelized onions, bacon & roasted garlic!?!?!) that he had been craving for weeks. Jess was a happy camper with a big bowl of mussels in front of her & some crunchy garlic bread to soak up the tasty juices. We wanted a celebratory, grand night out & Easy Street delivered with flying colors.

Purple Sage

This "fit for foodies" hot spot on Main Street with a decidedly western feel serves local, sustainable meats. To start, the BBQ Chicken Tamales were just OK. What stole the show was the veal meatloaf that we both ordered. It was a heaping portion of flavorful meat served on top of a sweet pepper salsa & next to mashed potatoes & brussels sprouts. After seeing an order being delivered to a table nearby, we decided that it looked too good to share and I think we're happy with our decision...Purple Sage is a must if you're heading out to PC.

Chimayo

On night 3, Super Bowl Sunday, we had a little trouble finding a restaurant that was open. This turned out to be a blessing as we ended up dining at one of Park City's finest establishments, Chimayo. Glittering with white x-mas lights and a lot of Southwestern pizazz, the atmosphere inside of Chimayo is part of what you are paying for (and you will pay A LOT). We weren't terribly hungry that night,  so we shared two appetizers & one entree. The soup sampler appetizer was perfect & the highlight of the meal. Four different soups (tortilla, pumpkin, potato leek, & crab/corn chowder)

were placed in mini bowls and each one was unique and tasty. It was just the right portion size for two people. The other app (ahi tuna salad) & entree (cod) were delicious but a tad overpriced for what they were. 

While we're happy we checked out Chimayo for the dining experience and good eats, we're also happy we went on a night when we weren't too hungry & didn't have to spend an arm and a leg.

High West Distillery

On our last night in Park City, we headed down to an old whiskey distillery/bar/restaurant. We had an amusing British server who said "no worries" to everything we said. Not surprisingly, the drinks here were the best in Park City. Eric got the whiskey old fashioned & Jess got the whiskey lemonade. They tasted great & packed an alcoholic punch! For an appetizer, we shared 3 side veggies - squash "linguine" & fried eggplant, roasted b-sprouts, and sauteed spinach. We both had excellent things to say about our entrees - Jess and her chicken schnitzel & Eric with steak (served w/ whiskey steak sauce & parmesan-dusted fries).

We also stopped at the Back Door Deli during our first afternoon in Park City. The sandwiches there are fantastic (turkey/pesto & veggie were our choices) and it's worth stopping here one afternoon. The warm, crunchy bread and fresh ingredients are what set this place apart from most sandwich shops.

In terms of apres-ski, our favorite spot was the No Name Saloon. It was one of the most happening spots on Main Street & for good reason. It had ample seating, lots of drink options, & very cheap beer. Since most things in Park City are expensive, we'll gladly take a bar that allows you to get 2 pints for less than $10 w/ tip. We also stopped into the downstairs bar at Bandits & had ourselves some mighty fine buffalo wings.

Park City is a world-class ski town with a great vibe, top notch powder, and an abundance of dining/drinking options along the quintessential & appropriately named Main Street.

Here are a couple of the friends we made in Park City:

Franz The Bear

Molly The Moose

The Fat Radish

On Saturday, we met up with our friends Danny & Lindsey (check out her LTUL blog!), for some brunch at The Fat Radish. TFR recently opened & is located where the Lower East Side meets Chinatown - which, we all noted, is a completely different world. A cute coffee bar greets you upon entry and after walking down a small hallway, you are introduced to the dining room, which has a very hip and rustic feel to it.

I'll start with the negatives...the location and the service. I shouldn't have to ask multiple times for water or coffee. At brunch, these things should be flowing! I would think that this will only improve as the restaurant ages.

File this under "odd," but the entire staff breezes by in plaid button-downs. Waiters, hostesses, bus boys, etc... I'm not sure how I feel about this but it seems a little like they're trying too hard. We get it... you're hipsters.

Now, on to the goods... the food! My pumpkin pancakes were out of this world delicious and I will 100% be back again when I'm more hungover and these suckers can soak up some alcohol. Served with a maple mascarpone, candied walnuts, & a side of syrup, each bite was simply heavenly. Besides being a sucker for all things pumpkin (whoopie pies, what what!), what made these pancakes better than most others in Manhattan is that they were just a bit undercooked. This caused the middle of the pancakes to have a batter-like feel to it and who doesn't like that? It was like pumpkin cookie dough was greeting you at the end of every bite of flapjack.

This is what I looked like after my meal.

The rest of the table got eggs & while everyone enjoyed, I didn't get the sense that they LOVED the dishes. Maybe that's because I was too busy savoring each bite of my own dish. Lindsey's dish sounded the most interesting - spaghetti squash, candied bacon, & crispy egg. It should also be noted that the portions weren't particularly large. This was OK for the pancakes b/c no matter how you portion 3 pancakes, you're going to be full. But for the egg dishes, it was problematic. Eggs should ALWAYS be served alongside potatoes &/or toast. We had neither. Major no-no.

Oh, and the bloody mary's were quite delicious!! We'll be back soon enough.. Either for the pancakes or to see what they got for dinner.