Absolute Bagels

Sometimes you just need a bagel. 

Absolute Bagels 

2788 Broadway

New York

NY 10025

Bravo Pizza

N lives really close to Bravo Pizza so this is our go to whenever we hang out at her house. The crust is always great and the pizza humongous. My two favorite flavors is the ricotta and spinach and ricotta with pepperoni.

Bravo Pizza

146 5th Avenue 

New York

NY 10011

Community Food & Juice

Community Food and Juice is one of the most popular restaurants around Columbia. The atmosphere is bright and airy and the food is delicious and wholesome. I haven't been back to Community in ages and decided to grab brunch with C one sunny day. There was a 20-30 minute wait on a weekend which is not bad at all and we were really happy with our meal.

Banana Walnut Pancakes with Warm Maple Butter 
Mmmm these were so good. While they were not as good at Clinton Street's, these were still fluffy and hearty. I loved the addition of the crunchy walnuts and the maple butter were also yummy. The one big complaint I had was that the server charged me for asking for extra syrup when I asked if I could get the rest of the pancakes to go. It was definitely a "seriously?" moment and just did not seem very nice. 

Vegetable Frittata - Asparagus, Melted Leeks, Roasted Tomato, Fontina, Lynnhaven Goat Cheese, Fresh Thyme
I had a bite of this and loved it! The veggies were all delicious and the goat cheese was heavenly. 

Heritage Hickory Bacon 
Decent and smokey bacon! Love bacon with pancakes! 

Sweet Potato Fries 
These tasted nice but were very soggy. I would give this a miss. 

Overall the meal was enjoyable but I would not say this is a must visit in New York. It is a cute spot if you are in/live in the area.

Community Juice & Food

2893 Broadway 

New York

NY 10025

Joseph Leonard

Hi guys! Sorry I've been on sort of a hiatus recently. I've been dying to try Joseph Leonard for a while after seeing many yummy brunch photos on Instagram. I finally got the chance to try it with A after a Justin Bieber theme SoulCycle ride (best day ever?). The hostess was super sweet because I put my name down before Soul and she said she can't guarantee anything but will definitely keep my name there and would let me know! The restaurant is tiny and it was bustling!

Avocado Toast - Two Eggs Any Style, Country Bread, and Baby Lettuce 
I never order avocado toast when I am out because I eat it every morning at home but A seemed to enjoy it!

Hashbrown
Probably one of the most impressive and beautiful hash browns I've ever seen! I think if you were to come here for a specific dish, this would definitely be one of them! The outside is so crispy and the inside is tender and fluffy. Delicious!

"Benedict" - Pain Perdue, Smoked Salmon, Smoked Salmon, and Scallion Cream 
I was quite curious about the savory pain perdue but ended up not liking it too much. It was too eggy and not particularly flavorful. I would have preferred it on a regular english muffin or crusty bread. The eggs were poached perfectly and the smoked salmon was very flavorful, and I particularly loved the scallion cream which was creamy and luscious. I actually loved putting the scallion cream with the hash brown! However, as a whole dish everything was too soft and mushy and it was just missing that crunchy factor. I think the switching the pain perdu with some warm crusty sourdough would be absolute perfection. 

I think this is a super cute spot for a brunch date but I probably would not be coming back any time soon as there are still many other spots for me to try! I think if the wait time is not too bad and you are in the area you can definitely give this a try! Their monkey bread and pancakes also looked awesome so I could be tempted to come back to give those a go!

Joseph Leonard

170 Waverly Place 

New York

NY 10014

The Polo Bar

Polo Bar is one of the city's top "seen and be seen" spots in NYC, you can't even enter the bar area without a reservation! Scoring a prime time reservation is notoriously difficult so I was so lucky when my friend T asked me if I wanted to take her table at 8:30 pm on Saturday. The atmosphere is everything you would expect it to be... quite like a Ralph Lauren store but with waiters whisking around classic American plates such as shrimp cocktail and steaks. The food is ok, definitely not bad but not particularly memorable either. I did enjoy my dining experience here and definitely would recommend trying once just for the atmosphere.

The Moscow Mule is supposed to be one of their most famous drinks. It was very tasty and refreshing and we also found out that our waitress shared the same birthday as me and J so these drinks were on the house! She was so sweet and this definitely was a sweet start to our dinner. 

Shrimp Cocktail
The shrimp was generously sized and fresh. 

Pigs in a Blanket
Pretty delicious, can't really go wrong with this dish. 

Crab Cake
The crust was a little different than usual and was really crispy, but I personally prefer the more traditional preparation of crab cake where the entire outside is coated with breadcrumbs. 

Cute little ketchup holders! 

Veal Milanese 
This dish was really good! The veal was very tender and the coating was very flavorful and crispy. 

Bone in Ribeye 
The steak was also made well with a great char on the outside and juicy meat inside. While this was not the best steak I've had in New York, I think it was better than other steakhouses such as Wolfgang's. 

I loved the decor and vibe of the restaurant but after coming once I would not go out of my way to score a reservation again. However, I did enjoy my time here and would recommend for others to try it out if they have the chance!

Polo Bar

1 E 55th Street

New York

NY 10022

Tuome

I've been wanting to try Tuome for a while after seeing it's "Pig Out" dish on instagram. Tuome is opened by Thomas Chen, who used to work at Eleven Madison Square Park and Commerce. The menu is American with Asian influences. I made reservations a couple times but something always came up and I ended up having to cancel it. I finally got the chance to try it out at a fun girls dinner! I think they may have changed the menu on the website as I can't find some of the dishes below but I will try my best! We also ordered the "Rice - Kale, Chinese Sausage, Duck Fat" and "Corn with Curry and Crème Fraîche". The rice dish was basically a "zhong" (a sticky rice package wrapped in bamboo leaves). It was a little soft but very flavorful and yummy. The corn was also very delicious and I loved the creaminess of the crème fraîche with the spiciness of the curry.

Tartare - Wagyu, Three Hour Yolk, Lemongrass 
The meat, as expected since its wagyu, was very juicy and decadent. I liked how it wasn't too chopped up and still maintained a great bite. The flavors were fine but not particularly memorable. It was also a little bit too watery. 

Chicken Liver - Mousse, NY Maple, Milk Bread
This dish reminded me of one of my all time favorite dishes: Yardbird's chicken liver mousse in Hong Kong!! The mousse was very fragrant and smooth and the crispy shallots were the perfect textural contrast. While Yardbird's one is still my number one, this was very enjoyable. 

Soft Shell Crab - Burrata, Heirloom Tomato, Herb Lime Sauce 
The soft shell crab was perfectly crispy and I loved the contrast with the creamy burrata. However, I feel like this dish was just missing something... perhaps some type of carb? I feel like this would be so good as a sandwich but slightly lacking as is. 

Pig Out (For Two) - Berkshire Pork, Spicy Peanut Noodle, Condiments 
The pork was really well done but we all commented that it just tasted like Cantonese roast pork... the skin was really crispy and not fatty and the meat was juicy. While it was good, it did not really justify its much higher price point when it tasted the same (maybe even less good!) than siu youk. However, we all LOVED the spicy peanut noodle. The noodles had such a perfect chewy texture and the peanut sauce was delicious! 

Overall I really enjoyed my meal here. I don't think I will be coming back anything soon because I have a lot of other things to try and I didn't have any specific dish that I was blown away by. But I really enjoyed the creativity in these dishes and would definitely recommend this place to others if they are looking for some fusion cuisine.

Tuome

536 East 5th Street

New York

NY 10009 

American Cut

As much as I love steak, American Cut has never been on the top of my list of restaurants to try for some reason. It was not until I saw an instagram post about its stellar Restaurant Week menu that I decided to book a table. American Cut is opened by Marc Forgione, who is an Iron Chef and the food definitely lived up to his reputation!

My party and I were a bit peeved in the beginning because we were told to sit at the bar even though we arrived perfectly on time and were not seated until 20 minutes later. The hostess did not give us any explanation until we asked her twice regarding the table and this definitely did not help that we were all incredibly hangry. The bartender was very professional and we enjoyed our drinks so that did calm us down a bit haha. One other issue was that the AC was broken so it was quite stuffy in there. But apart from these two small hiccups the food was PHENOMENAL and I had a great dining experience. Our servers were very sweet and professional and the dinner went very smoothly. We ordered two Restaurant Week Menus and also from the a la carte menu. I would definitely be happy to come back and try out other items on the menu. I've heard that the tater tots were amazing so that in itself is enough for my return :D

Everything Biscuits  
Good lord these biscuits were good. They were so fluffy, buttery, and flakey that I also asked for seconds but I knew I had to save my tummy for the main event.

Diamond Jim Brady Oysters - Champagne, Black Truffle, Cruola 
These oysters were slightly salty but still very yummy. The hint of truffle was perfect and the cheesy mashed potatoes also was a perfect compliment to the oysters. 

Bacon, Schaller & Weber - MF Steak Sauce, Black Onion
Bacon is always a good idea but this bacon was out of this world. It almost had a slightly short rib richness to it and the umami from the bacon and the black onion was spectacular. 

Hanger - 9 oz Pastrami Spice, Smoke 
The steak was cooked perfectly and I loved the pastrami spice. It really gave the steak an unique flavor and took the meal to the next level. 

Wild Mushrooms and Grilled Polenta, Sunchoked Spinach with Fontina and Smoked Salt, and Potato Puree "Robuchon" and Local Butter 
The wild mushrooms were cooked perfectly and had a lovely earthy flavor. The spinach was very creamy and decadent, and the potatoes were very smooth and buttery. Delicious sides! 

The New York City Cut - 20 oz Bone-In Ribeye, Pastrami Spices, Smoke
The steak was a tinsy bit more raw than medium rare but it still tasted amazing so we had no complaints. The rub once again was great and the crust was perfect. The meat was so juicy and had great flavor. 

Oh hell yeah 

Bell & Evans Chicken - Natural Jus, Chili
We decided to order the chicken from the Restaurant Week Menu since we already had two steaks. I usually would not order chicken at a steak house but boy am I glad we did! This was one of the most well done pieces of chicken we have ever tried. The flavors were very simple and allowed the impeccable taste of the chicken meat to shine through. It was very obvious that this chicken was of high quality and the execution was also on point. The meat was incredibly juicy and the skin was also crispy and not at all greasy. 

Cracker Jack Sundae - Popcorn Ice Cream
MAN this is good. The amount of caramel was just perfect and the texture of the popcorn was ideal with the ice cream. My only complaint was that it was too small even though I was full up to my eyeballs from this meal. The ice cream was also wonderfully smooth and creamy.

Blueberry Bread Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream
This was probably the least successful dish of the night. It had a strange tart flavor to it and I really did not like it. 

I had such a great meal here and I am already telling friends all about it! My next steak destination is Delmonico or Bowery Meat Company but American Cut definitely left a great impression on me and I can't wait to return! 

American Cut 

363 Greenwich Street

New York

NY 10013

Root & Bone

Root & Bone is a restaurant that is opened by Top Chef alums Jeff McInnis and Janine Booth and has been on the to try list for ages for me and I. Maybe we have been anticipating it for too long, but the restaurant did not blow us away. The fried chicken was really good, but most of the other dishes were only ok.

Super cute tea cup for my alcohol :)  

Fried Green Tomatoes 
These were very well done and I enjoyed them. The outer layer was well seasoned and perfectly crispy and the tomatoes were fresh and tart. 

Grilled Peach Caprese - Gooey Pimento Cheese Croquette, Charred Peaches, Pickled Green Tomatoes, Baby Heirloom Tomatoes, Basil and Molasses Vinegar 
I was actually really looking forward to this item but it was quite disappointing. The peaches were not quite ripe enough and therefore did not achieve the caramelization from the charring. The pimento croquette was also much too small and the pickled green tomatoes didn't really fit in with the other flavors of the dish. 

Grilled Corn - Sweet Summer Corn, Cornbread Butter, Crunchy Hominy, Lemon PopcornThis was really yummy and the corn was grilled nicely. However, while I thought the addition of the hominy and popcorn was a cute idea, in terms of flavor it didn't really add anything to the dish and I preferred just eating the charred corn by itself. 

Drunken Pickled Eggs - Pickled Roots and Chips
These tasted a little funny as it was way too sour. 

Shrimp and Grits - VA County Ham, Brooklyn Lager Jus, Gulf Shrimp, Red Onion, Local Upstate Grits 
The shrimp was very fresh and plump but I disliked the addition of the ham. It tasted like the Chinese ham that you sautéed with vegetables and it just stringy and a bit tough. The addition of the cherry tomatoes also didn't do it for me and the grits weren't smooth or creamy enough.

Crispy Free  Range Fried Bird - Sweet Tea Brined, Lemon Dusted, Spiked Tabasco Honey 
This was the best dish of the night. The meat was very juicy extremely well flavored. The skin and coating was also crisp and not greasy at all. I also loved the tabasco honey (it tasted like the Mcwings sauce haha), it really made the dish pop. 

While some of the dishes were only ok for me, I wouldn't say that I had a bad dining experience here at all. The fried chicken was very well done and the mac and cheese looked really good on Yelp. I would not be opposed to coming here again but if you were visiting this would not be a must try. 

Root & Bone

200 East 3rd Street

New York

10009

Norma's

Norma's at the Le Parker Meridien Hotel is one of New York's quintessential breakfast spots. It is know for its over the top dishes including "The Zillion Dollar Lobster Frittata", and while it does not actually cost a zillion dollars, is priced at an absurd $1000 usd thanks to the 100 oz of caviar plopped on top. The meal starts off with a complimentary shot of the smoothie of the day and it is actually a smart little trick to get you to order the smoothie after. They also offer you orange juice right away and gives you an impression that this may also be complimentary but it is not, so remember that! The menu is here so you can get a sense of all the gut blasting dishes on offer here. The food was not bad, but definitely not refined in any way and also quite pricy. I don't think I would return as I think they only rely on their fame and shock factor of how much stuff they can load on the plate.

Super Cheesy French Toast with Caramelized Onions and Applewood Smoked Bacon
I don't really see why this is called a french toast since it was just a ton of cheese loaded on top of two croissants. The bacon was nicely cooked and the caramelized onions were also very flavorful, but as you can imagine this was extremely heavy and I also don't think it't quite possible to make this combination taste bad unless you were to completely ruin it some how. I did like the addition of maple syrup as the sweetness made this dish even more decadent and gooey. 

Eggs Benedict - Buttermilk Pancake Layered with Canadian Bacon and Grilled Asparagus
I thought the change of english muffins to pancakes was quite clever and the hollandaise sauce was made very well. However, apart from that it wasn't particularly special.

I would not say the meal was not enjoyable, my dish was actually quite satisfying but it was just extremely heavy and I don't think it's worth the hype and price. 

Norma's

Le Parker Meridien Hotel

119 W 56th St

New York

NY 10019

The Meatball Shop

The Meatball Shop is probably one of the first NYC restaurants that I heard about. It has been years since I first heard of it and I finally got around to trying it out last week. Unfortunately it was rather disappointing but I've heard that it has inconsistency issues with its various locations. I think the idea is really cute and I love the set up of the menu, however, the food was not that great and while it was not so bad that I would never return, I also would not specifically recommend it.

I loved how you can pick and choose your own dish (you also do that with the ice cream sandwiches for dessert) 

Classic Beef Meatballs with Marinara Sauce over Polenta 
Our waitress recommended the classic beef balls but they were a complete let down! They were very stiff and definitely needed more fat in the mixture. The marinara sauce was also much too tart and the polenta was not creamy or rich enough. 

Spicy Pork Meatballs with Spicy Meat Sauce 
The pork balls were much more flavorful and also richer in texture. The spicy meat sauce was also more complex in flavors and not as sour. 

Ice Cream Sandwich
The cookies weren't soft enough and my ice cream melted SUPER fast. Flavors were good though and I loved how you can pick two flavors of cookies and the ice cream filling. 

Overall, it was not a bad meal and I would come again for the pork meatballs and perhaps try the mushroom gravy but this is definitely not a place I am particularly yearning to return to. The wines are very reasonably priced though and the atmosphere is casual and cute. I hear that there is another meatball shop called Polpette nearby so I will give that a go next!

The Meatball Shop

447 Amsterdam Avenue

New York

NY 10024