Lobster Rolls from Red Hook Lobster Pound - Actually worth the 2 hr wait

After getting up a bit late this morning, I didn't make it over to the Brooklyn Flea until around 1pm.

And, I didn't get my lobster roll until about 3pm. Wow - I can't believe that I actually waited for 2 hours!

I don't think I have waited that long for anything before...not even Shake Shack...although that's come very close.

The line I must say was partly in due to the very slow process - since the buttered lobster rolls are made to order the line does not move as fast as you would expect for a pretty simple dish...

By the time we got our lobster rolls - I was ready to hate it. I was ready to say "yeah, it isn't worth the wait."

But...actually it was totally worth the wait! Served both New England style (your traditional lobster in mayo and celery) and Connecticut style - basically just buttered lobster...you can't go wrong with your choice.

After waiting 2 hours - I of course got both! While the New England one is definitely more refreshing on a hot afternoon - the buttered version is deliciously decadent.

Grilled to order in butter and served with scallions on a smothered butter grilled roll - it was like I died and gone to lobster heaven! Huge chunks of lobster, very rich and pure...

But you really can't go wrong with either!

The New England style has just the right amount of mayo to give it that light creamy goodness without overpowering the lobster.

Red Hook's lobster rolls are in my book definitely the best ones in the city. Maybe even in the state of Maine! They are that good.

At $13 bucks a roll - they aren't cheap, but worth it as they give the most generous chunks of lobster I've found in the city.

Next time I'm thinking I will go earlier on Sunday morning and then maybe I can cut down on my wait time...

Brooklyn Flea - Lobster rolls on Sundays
Sundays at the Brooklyn Bridge
Subway
A/C to High St.
F to York St.
2/3 to Clark St.

Red Hook Lobster Pound
284 Van Brunt St.
Brooklyn, NY
646-326-7650

Butter Lane- Move Over Magnolia - There is a New Kid in Town

So there is this brand spanking new cupcake place in the city - a tiny bakeshop on East 7th between 1st and Ave. A, a little block that I like to call culinary heaven.

Caracas Arepas, Porchetta...and now Butter Lane? The residents of East 7th are SO LUCKY!

After an awesome dinner of pork and beans across the street at Porchetta (more to come on that later...) I overheard the owner recommending Butter Lane to a fellow diner. So glad I'm so good at eavesdropping!

Butter Lane is all about pure ingredients, locally sourced...and most impressively - No Artificial Food Coloring!
That's right, you heard it....the frosting on the cupcakes - that's the actual color nature intended! Which means...vanilla is white or cream (not pink or green) and chocolate is brown. So refreshing. Blueberry is purplish bluish...just like the real thing!

The second differentiating aspect of Butter Lane is that they offer two variations of frosting - French Buttercream and American Buttercream. Now we all know what American Buttercream is - confectioner (or commonly known as powdered sugar) and butter, i.e. what Magnolia uses...

French Buttercream is a labor intensive process of beating egg whites, butter and granulated sugar. Translation - lighter, fluffier (less sweet in my opinion) frosting.

Now at Butter Lane you can mix and match frostings with cake - vanilla or chocolate or banana bread. Standby frostings include vanilla and chocolate, french or american buttercream - as well as cream cheese, and a daily selection of fruit frostings...anything from key lime, blueberry, raspberry...or whatever else is in season!

To quench your thirst - Butter Lane also offers decadent hot chocolate from the king himself, Jacques Torres.

So I'm serious...go to Butter Lane and get the French Vanilla Buttercream & chocolate cupcake - light and fluffy, it is seriously a little taste of heaven. And I know my cupcakes. This is the real deal.

Magnolia should be scared. Very scared.

Butter Lane
123 E. 7th St., New York, NY 10009
212-677-2880
butterlane.com

Mercadito - Dressed Up Mexican in NYC

Mercadito has to be one of my all time favorite restaurants in NYC. Now a mini-empire with an outpost in the West Village, Mercadito Grove, and Mercadito Cantina...I still remain true and loyal to the original, Mercadito in the heart of the East Village.

Located on 11th Street and Ave. B, Mercadito is a small, quaint, utterly charming Mexican restaurant - great for both dates and groups. The ambiance is vibrant, colorful, with a rustic feeling like you are sitting in a cantina in Mexico City, albeit a very nice one.

I always always start with the Mango Mojito - fresh muddled mangoes, but you can go with any of the fresh fruits available, and switch out your rum for tequila and do a margarita.

Moving on to the dishes - now I feel like one goes to Mercadito for two things: guacamole and tacos. Guacamole - your choice of pineapple, mango or original...I go with the mango. But that's because there's almost nothing I love more than mangoes. Except maybe bacon, but you already know that.

The chips are served warm and crunchy - and before you know it they are gone. Be sure to ask for seconds.

As for the tacos....all I can say is yum, yum, yum. There are several varieties, but the overall gist is that each taco dish comes with four small soft tacos in a variety of fresh and interesting combinations. Favorites include the Camaron: shrimp, avocado, roasted garlic and chili chipotle mojo, and the Carne: lime & soy marinated skirt steak, scallions, avocado salsa. I also usually go with one of the fish tacos - either the Estilo Baja: today's beer battered fish, mexican style cole slaw, chile chipotle aioli, or the Mojarra : tilapia, huitlacoche, manchego cheese, corn, tomatillo salsa.

For my boyfriend and I, 3 taco dishes is usually the perfect amount to order. Other dishes include a variety of ceviches and main courses, but I typically stick with the tacos. I like to have variety and taste a many different combinations.

For sides - I recommend the plantains...hot, sweet and decadent...they are the perfect complement to the spicy flavors of the meal.

As for dessert - I recommend walking across 11th to St. Marks and stopping by Chikalicious Dessert Club or the Dessert Truck. You'll get a better bang for your buck there as Mercadito is not known for its desserts.

One final note - after 10pm on weeknights, 11pm on weekends...Mercadito has a special all you can eat tacos for $24 bucks! This is subject to change so call before you head on down, but it makes for a perfect late night bite.

Also- reservations are necessary as the restaurant is small and very popular. In addition they are pretty strict about the 15 minute grace period so my advice is tell you friends the resy is 1/2 before the actual time. We all know how long it takes to get down to the East Village!

Mercadito
179 Ave. B, New York, NY 10009
212-529-6490
http://www.mercaditony.com

Aki on West 4th - Not Your Ordinary Asian Fusion

Aki Sushi on West 4th (I mention the West 4th because there are so many sushi places in the city named Aki Sushi- and this is not to be confused with your ordinary neighborhood takeout place).

Aki on West 4th is Japanese food with a Caribbean influence - Japanese + Jamaican.

While the sushi is good, the appetizers are even better. You can get sushi anywhere. But, the chef's Jamaican inspired appetizers melding fresh fruits and fish is a special find.

This, you cannot get anywhere else.

The chef of Aki on West 4th was a chef to the Japanese ambassador to the West Indies, bringing to us the best of both worlds through his innovative and inspired dishes.

The menu is broad, with many appetizers to choose from. Typically I order the prix- fixe, 2 appetizers + sushi/sashimi entree + dessert. The appetizers are the prized jewel.

Favorites include the "must have" Tuna MilleFeuille: tuna, fiji apple, avocado, shiso and tobiko with apple vinegar and white balsamic sauce. The apple gives it a refreshing crunch, and the avocado marries the dish together, providing what I often call the butter or glue to the dish. The acid from the vinegar is a perfect finish.

A hot appetizer I like is the Eel Napoleon. This is truly unique. Eel, fried tofu, mashed eel & pumpkin and ginger with eel sauce. It sounds like a lot of eel, but the pumpkin adds a nice twist to the customary sweetness associated with eel rolls. The plating is exquisite, and if you like eel, I guarantee you won't be disappointed. Where else have you heard of an Eel Napoleon?

For the entree, the sushi and sashimi are fresh - an obvious requirement of any good sushi joint. Like I said though, the highlights are the appetizers.

For dessert, my choice is the Green Tea Tiramisu, but if you are more adventurous, go with the Tofu Panna Cotta - with soymilk, tapioca, green tea syrup, red bean and logan. The red bean and logan bring me back to Asia.

Drinks. This place is quite generous with the drinks. Order a small plum wine for $8 bucks - it comes with its own vessel - which often seems never-ending. A lovely addition to the meal.

Tip - this place is tiny so definitely make reservations. Also, there is an early bird special from 6:30-7:30pm (short window- often changes so call first, but if you make it...it's worth it.)
(picture from nymag.com)

Aki on West 4th
181 W. 4th St., New York, NY
212-989-5440

Magnolia - Is the Sex and the City hype worth it?

Magnolia was made famous by Sex and the City - actually I think they only really filmed one scene there with Carrie and Miranda eating cupcakes on a bench seemingly outside of Magnolia. However, I don't actually think that bench exists there...hrmm...

Anyhow, is it really worth waiting in that line around the block? Are the cupcakes that good? My verdict: Yes....but the banana pudding is even better.

After years of only eating the cupcakes (I am an admitted cupcakoholic), I finally tried the infamous banana pudding a couple of weeks ago.

It was delicious.

And I don't even like pudding.

Or mushy bananas really.

But, Magnolia's blend of heavy cream, cake and bananas somehow becomes magical. So good that I had it on Saturday and on Sunday!

So yes, it is worth that wait around the block...but lucky for us Magnolia has opened a new location on the Upper West Side in a much larger space, with a party room. So watch out, pretty soon it will be overrun by NYC moms and their socialite kiddies.

But for now I recommend trekking to the new locale on the UWS when in need for a fix quick of banana pudding or red velvet cupcakes.

However, if you do have the time to kill...the visit to the original West Village shop often turns up classic celebrity sightings...

Did I mention I had one of the last pre-robot Katie Holmes sightings there circa April 2005 (gasp...right before her coming out party with Tom!)

...maybe the next time I'll see Suri!

Magnolia Bakery
West Village
401 Bleecker St. New York, NY
212-462-2572

Upper West Side
200 Columbus Ave. New York, NY
212-724-8101
http://www.magnoliacupcakes.com/

East Side Company Bar - Milk & Honey's More Friendly Sibling

Located deep in the lower east side on Essex and Grand, you have to know where you are going to find this hidden joint with the characteristic no signage and humble abode similar to its older brother, Milk & Honey.

Inside, it has the same speakeasy feel of Milk & Honey - small and dark, with traditional booths good for settling in for some pre or post party cocktails. One feels somewhat transported back to the prohibition era complete with the cool looking bartenders.

Drinks are not as fancy as Milk & Honey, but they are cheaper and there is a large selection of classics from martinis to a surprisingly good strawberry mint margarita.

I see East Side Company Bar as kind of like a Milk & Honey for the "Average Joe."

No reservations needed, no secret number necessary...just show up the old fashioned way and wait for a table.

Just the way I like it.

East Side Company Bar
49 Essex St., New York, NY
212-614-7408
no website

The Smith - great food when you just want to be bad......

The Smith is a new restaurant by the owners of Jane - another favorite brunch place....

Located on 10th and 3rd ave...The Smith has a very cool old school vibe about it, and on nice days the dining area opens out on the sidewalk - perfect for people watching.

I go to The Smith when I want food that is soooo good, yet sooooo bad....... dieters beware- this is not the place for you!

Favorites include "the Croaker," a deliciously heart attack inducing combo of toasted sourdough rye, ham, fried eggs, and topped with gruyere cheese...

Potato pancakes is another great choice - topped with creamed spinach and poached eggs...

..and the french toast topped with maple butter and carmelized bananas is a must do...

mmm....

For dinner go for the burger or the mac'n'cheese - the perfect comfort food on a cold winter night..

P.S. Guys - The Smith somehow has become the sorority girl magnet place du jour...every time I go there are tons of girls a la Sex and the City.  Who knew girls + burgers was a home run?  Well, I guess if we are being totally honest..most of the girls there are eating salads.  Go figure...

The Smith
55 3rd Ave, New York
212-420-9800
http://www.ctrnyc.com/THESMITH/index.html

Po Restaurant- Guaranteed to Impress

Po is one of my all time favorite restaurants in NYC.

Great classic Italian food, great hospitality and lovely decor. I have been back many times over the years and it never disappoints. Po remains a "go to" place to take out of town guests when you want to guarantee to impress.

The ingredients change seasonally, and some favorites include the papardelle with corn and chorizo and the spaghetti carbonara. A standout entree is the porcini crusted cod which is prepared beautifully- crispy top, soft and flaky inside.

For dessert the affogato and the Po sundae (with mint gelato!) are always good standbyes.

Service is impeccable- David, there on Sundays is exceptional.

One last note - Po is a great place to for star sighting - stars like Keri Russell and Kirsten Dunst come in for a low-key dinner.

Po
31 Cornelia St., New York, NY
(212) 645-2189
http://porestaurant.com/

Five Points - Favorite Brunch Place

Five Points is a great place to grab brunch with friends.

The home style cooking fits the bill on a Sunday afternoon after a fun filled weekend. Favorites include the mac'n'cheese - baked with a nice white vermont cheddar, and poached eggs with pork sausage and a sweet creamy tomato sauce.

Go with a group and order a pitcher of Bloody Mary or Morning Punch and you are good to go for the rest of a lazy Sunday afternoon....
(picture from gothamist.com)

Five Points
31 Great Jones St., New York, NY
(212) 253-5700
http://www.fivepointsrestaurant.com/