I detailed my love for Torrisi Italian Specialties long before the food critics weighed in and celebrities packed their seats so when they opened up Parm, I immediately put it on the list to check out. Problem is with over 250 restaurants/bars/eating establishments “on the list” I didn’t make it to Parm until 4 months after it opened.

With the gluten-free thing going strong (only 5 weeks left!) I couldn’t really indulge in their namesake dishes (the chicken parm, eggplant parm sandwich, etc) but I had heard amazing things about their house made turkey so I knew I could get a good taste of what they’ve got going on there without breaking my diet pact.

Warm and friendly, Parm has a diner-like atmosphere with a terrific soundtrack playing a mix of old school favorites and current hits. We waited patiently for a table (well I did as my friends were 45 minutes late and they won’t sit incomplete tables) and after sitting down immediately ordered our food and drinks (the smell of oregano and garlic envelopes you completely and holds on tight) and waited patiently as we watched each plate pass us and go to another table (our food was at our table within 10 minutes!). Since the turkey plate was really the only thing I could eat I ordered the platter with a side salad.

Let me tell you something, this is the best damn turkey I have ever had in my life. It’s a plate full of fresh sliced turkey they make in-house with a generous side salad abutted next to it.  Served with a spicy sauce that is pretty tame but a great condiment no matter what, this dish is insanely moist and flavorful. I “gobbled” it up as my friends took their time with their parm platters and I made no apologies for it.

Parm is simple Italian food at its best. In fact it proves that even the most old school Italian-American classics can become fresh and inspired again. I enjoyed every single minute I was in there and every time I look at the above photo I swear my hips point into the direction of Parm begging me to head west and get more of that succulent turkey. It may be a little pricey for some people at lunchtime (platters range from $12-$15) but the warm vibe, super friendly service and wonderful food make it so worth it……once in awhile

Parm

248 Mulberry Street (between Prince and Spring Streets)

To have a restaurant stay in business in New York City for more than ten years is a big accomplishment and today Big Nick’s Burger Joint celebrates 50 years on the Upper West Side!!!!

To celebrate they are rolling back their prices to reflect their 1962 menu today! Enjoy select menu items at prices that are unheard of today in their dining room from noon till midnight…. burgers for $.60, fries for $.30, slices pf pizza for $.50, pasta and sauce for $.75 and more! Go hog-wild here…you deserve it

Big Nick’s Burger Joint

2175 Broadway (between 76th and 77th Streets)

Last week I invited two other couples to our house for a Valentines Day family-style feast and it went off without a hitch! Our first dinner party since we moved in together, David and I really enjoyed playing host and hostess to some of our closest friends for the night. The menu, created and executed by moi (of course), consisted of a raw tuscan kale salad (a riff on the amazing salad at Il Buco), an 8 herb and garlic roasted lamb rack, lemon panna cottas with candied rose petals and this awesome spaghetti squash gratin.

After posting a pic on twitter last week I got multiple requests for the recipe. The hardest part of this dish is removing and cleaning the spaghetti-like strands but after that’s all done, it’s easy peasy from there! You can cook ahead of time and re-heat as needed (lasts for 4 days) but nothing beats eating it the minute the dish comes out of the oven! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 3lb spaghetti squash
• 1 Tbl olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2  cup skim milk
• 2 Tbl chopped basil
• 1/2 cup gruyere cheese, grated
• 4 Tbl pecorino cheese, grated
• salt and pepper

To Make:

• pre-heat oven to 375
• pierce squash with a knife and place on a baking sheet covered with foil
• bake for on hour and turn every 20 minutes
• remove from heat and let cool
• cut into 1/2 lengthwise, remove seeds and discard and scoop out flesh into a bowl
• run a fork through the flesh and separate the spaghetti-like strands
• heat oil in a saucepan to medium heat and add onion, sweat until tender (about 5 minutes)
• add garlic and a pinch of salt and let cook till aromatic (about 1 minute)
• add squash  and cook
• while squash is cooking beat eggs in a large bowl, add milk, salt, pepper and chopped basil and stir into squash mixture
• add gruyere cheese, mix and scrape into ceramic or glass baking dish
• sprinkle with parmesan cheese, bake for 45 minutes, remove from heat and serve!
• Enjoy!!

The Big Cheesy, a two-day pop-up event will once again declare the city’s best grilled cheese next weekend! Pop on down to OpenHouse Gallery‘s Park Here next Saturday February 25th and/or Sunday February 26th from 1-7pm and help determine the best grilled cheese in the city!

An homage to fromage….they’ve created a two-day celebration of the childhood favorite!  Enjoy ooey gooey goodness from Artisanal, Big Daddy’s, Casellula, Little Muenster, Lucy’s Whey, Melt Shop, and Tartinery and pair them all with a cold Sixpoint tall boy (choices include Sweet Action, Righteous Ale, Crisp Pilsner & Bengali Tiger IPA)! Tickets are just $25 and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to City Harvest!

OpenHouse Gallery

201 Mulberry Street (between Kenmare and Spring Streets)

I walk by Rose Water once a week on my way to the Park Slope Food Coop and yet I haven’t dined there in almost two years. So last night after a failed attempt to score a seat at Talde (the wait was an hour and a half), I made a bee-line to Rose Water.

I forgot how much I loved this place;  I mean I really love this place!  The food, the staff, the ambiance, the feeling you get when you leave is just pure bliss. The portions are perfect — not too big, not too small, and their three course seasonal market menu for $27  just cannot be beat!

It’s a tiny little place but when the weather is good your best option is to sit in their sidewalk cafe (it’s open and covered during the winter and they provide you with blankets but I just can’t muster up the courage to brave the cold). Rose Water is warm and inviting vibe with a quaint small town kind of vibe.  The lighting is dim but not so dark where you can’t see what you’re eating and it just adds to the relaxed thing they’ve got going on. The staff is knowledgeable (they have great wine recommendations) and super friendly, making you feel like you found your new best friend.

*Summer at Rosewater*

With a menu that changes according to the season, you will always find something new and exciting to eat here. The food is fresh (they use local and organic ingredients) and the menu options are unique (brandade with poached egg anyone!?). I ordered their Winter Market Menu (without wine pairings) and enjoyed a pumpkin soup with apple cider, baked polenta with goat cheese, collard greens and hon shimeji mushrooms and a lemon cheesecake with a blood orange reduction. All three were divine, and I couldn’t believe I just ate a meal of that quality and quantity for only $27 (add wine pairings for an additional $14)!

Park Slope has so many dining options and frankly it can get very overwhelming but you must dine at Rose Water; it is by far one of the best restaurants in the neighborhood. Brunch can bring hour-long waits but weeknight dinners aren’t nearly that bad. Don’t be like me and pass by week after week telling yourself you’ll go next time; put Rose Water on your priority list asap!

Rose Water

787 Union Street (between 5th and 6th Avenue) *Park Slope

My favorite Greenpoint brunch spot, Brooklyn Label, has a great food and drink Happy Hour special running Monday- Friday from 4-6pm. Enjoy a Veggie Burger, Cheeseburger, or their new Fried Chicken Sandwich for only $6 (regularly $9-10), and if your feeling fancy add a side salad or fries for an additional $2!

What’s a big burger without a cold beer? Wash it all down with one of their craft beers on tap for only $3 during Happy Hour (includes Narragansset Lager, Smuttynose Winter Ale, Southern Tier Hefeweizen, Green Flash IPA, Ommegang Abbey Ale, and Sixpoints Righteous Rye)!

So that’s a burger/sandwich, fries and a beer for under $12? Get thee to Greenpoint stat!

Brooklyn Label

180 Franklin Street (at Java)

Celebrate Leap Year at Carroll Gardens’ famed Prime Meats this year! Enjoy a six-course feast paired with wines and a decadent dessert for $95 per person including a 20 percent gratuity Wednesday, February 29th. RSVP by Sunday, February 26 by emailing RSVP@frankspm.com!

For those not familiar with Prime Meats it is a farm to table restaurant influenced by Germanic cuisine featuring items such as The Vesper Brett (a tasting board of meats), Schnitzels, Sauerbraten, and house-made pretzels on its menu. Their spaetzle is to die for and sauerkraut so pungently wonderful you can’t help but slather it on your whole meal!

Prime Meats

465 Court Street (at Luquer Street)

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a recipe and I couldn’t have picked an easier or yummier meal to feature. It’s gluten-free, peanut-free, dairy-free and can be vegetarian if you substitute the chicken for tofu! It’s also the perfect way to warm up during this cold winter days!

While making this meal for my good friend Kara (of The Barking Meter) I realized how much I miss my weekly dinner series I conducted for almost two years. Each week I would invite friends over for a home  cooked meal. See life got in the way and it was unfortunately cast aside as I focused on other things. So I’ll be doing my darndest to keep my weekly recipes in rotation and I hope to teach you all a thing or two !

This easy meal can be made start to finish in just 20 minutes, of course it also helps if you cheat a little (which I do) by using a rotisserie chicken (make sure to remove the skin), and Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice to speed up the process! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 4 Large Eggs
• 2 Tbl Vegetable Oil
• 2 Large Tomatoes, halved, seeds removed and thinly sliced
• 4 Cups Chicken Broth (low-sodium is best)
• 1 Bunch Sliced Scallions
• 1 Tbl Sesame Oil
• 4 Tsp Soy Sauce (I use Gluten-Free sauce)
• 1 Cup Shredded Chicken
• 4 Cups Baby Spinach
• 1 1/2 cups Cooked Rice
• Salt and Pepper

To Make:

• Whisk the eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl
• Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan over high heat
• Add the eggs and cook until bubbles form on the surface and the bottom is set (about 1 minute)
• Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring to break up the eggs, until tomatoes have softened (about 2 minutes)
• Add the chicken broth, 3 cups water, scallions, sesame oil, soy sauce and 1 tsp salt
• Partially Cover and let simmer for 5 minutes
• Stir in the shredded chicken, spinach and rice and cook till warm
• Season with salt and pepper
• Enjoy!!!

It may have bar in its name but Bar Corvo is most definitely a restaurant. The Prospect/Crown Heights version of its sister restaurant Al di Là, fans of the Park Slope favorite will find a few food items carry over but will find this place to be very very different.

*Fried Spicy Chickpeas*

I was determined to become a regular long before the place officially opened its doors and since its opening have already dined there three times. If my experiences in their first week and a half is any indication, the staff at Bar Corvo will become my new best friends. On my first visit my friend and I sat at the bar, the second I came by myself and again sat at the bar, and the third time I introduced the boyfriend to our new neighborhood joint by sitting in the restaurant. All three visits were spectacular and all three nights were packed!

Most restaurants in their first week or even month have a few kinks to work out but the operation over at Bar Corvo is as smooth as silk. The servers are incredibly friendly (I personally have a soft spot for Jessica) and the cooks in the open kitchen are happy to chat answering any question you may have while they prepare your meal. But it doesn’t matter if you sit at the bar or in the dining area, as the experience is just lovely all around.

The menu is short and has some real outstanding dishes on its menu. If you don’t get the fried spicy chickpeas than you are doing yourself a huge disservice as they are just incredible. Bye bye lame bar nuts and snacks; I want Bar Corvo’s spicy chickpeas with my next drink! Other highlights include the grilled calamari salad with toasted almonds and parsley, roast amish chicken, swiss chard gratin, and fave e ciccoria (sautéed dandelion greens over a dried fava bean puree). The minute my whole “gluten-free” experiment flames out (April 1st btw), I am making a bee-line around the corner to devour their chitarra neri pasta with octopus and hot red pepper. I saw that dish come out of the kitchen many times and was salivating at its sight.

*Swiss Chard Gratin*

New York Mag profiled the bustling Washington Avenue in their issue this week and while I love the much deserved attention, I kinda wish this great part of Prospect/Crown Heights was a secret for just a little bit longer!  This neighborhood is on its way to food and drink glory with Bar Corvo leading the pack. If you haven’t been, GO! I’m counting down the days until their back garden opens up so I can plant myself there all summer! And now that I know I can almost throw a stone from my apartment and hit Bar Corvo, well it won’t be that hard to reach my goal of becoming a regular

Bar Corvo

791 Washington Avenue (between Lincoln and St. John)

Every night of the week Tribeca’s Greenwich Grill offers a fantastic deal….a $28 tasting menu that introduces diners to the “Tokyo-Italian” cuisine they serve. Menu items change daily but the formula stays the same… enjoy a four course feast with your choice of appetizer, a selected pasta, choice of entree, daily house-made sorbet for dessert and either coffee, espresso or tea for only $28!!!!!Let me tell you something…. I was baffled that a feast like this could actually cost me only $28. It may just be the best dinner deal in town! GO!

Greenwich Grill

428 Greenwich Street (between Vestry and Laight Streets)

Brooklyn dwellers know how awesome our borough is but some may not be convinced. Manhattanites obviously hear about how awesome the food scene is in Brooklyn but many still think that it’s all hype. Well the 2nd Annual Tasting Brooklyn event is guaranteed to settle once and for all how great it is on the other side of the river! On Tuesday April 3, 2012 enjoy a smorgasbord of Brooklyn bites from some of Brooklyn’s most celebrated and beloved restaurants.

Brought to us by Brooklyn Exposed, an online arts and entertainment guide that details the best that Brooklyn has to offer, this event is a not to be missed! Enjoy food and drink from over 25 different Brooklyn restaurants, bars and vendors and live cooking demos! Participating restaurants include Arancini Bros, Egg, Fornino Park Slope, Kiwiana, Littleneck, Maison Premiere, Robicellis, Sweet Loren’s, The Meatball Shop and more!!!!

Tickets were just released and include both a general admission and vip ticket option. So now the only question I have is……

Who’s coming with me!?

Tasting Brooklyn

Earlier this week I attended a food blogger dinner with my friend Christina at Ristorante Aglio. Newly opened (December of 2011), the restaurant is a sister to Tribeca’s celebrated Greenwich Grill and Sushi Azabu (a Michelin Star restaurant btw). Funnily enough I had just dined at GG last week and was eager to compare my experiences.

Tribeca is one of those neighborhoods  that I would do just about anything to live in; what with its beautiful loft style living, chic stores and most of all hidden gem restaurants. Not surprisingly, all three restaurants in the Plan Do See restaurant group  (Greenwich Grill, Aglio and Azabu) fall right into the latter category. Greenwich Grill serves up serves up Tokyo-Italian cuisine (have you ever heard of that before!?), Sushi Azabu traditional edo-mae style sushi with small Japanese dishes and Aglio features a“Pan-Italian” menu with dishes from various regions of Italy.

I can’t say much about Sushi Azabu as I haven’t been yet (although it’s at the top of my list), but the scene at Aglio is just like GG with dark banquettes, crisp white tablecloths, soft candle lighting and enchanting music circling overhead.  The chandelier that hovers over the dining room and a few of the banquette tables look like something straight out of the middle ages with its vast coverage of the room. Aglio is perfect for both group dining and intimate dates, in fact that night we dined the room was packed with both types of groups and yet the space felt calm and quiet.

*image courtesy of Tribeca Citizen*

The dinner was as follows; we got the choice of appetizer, entrée, dessert and signature cocktail and were left to enjoy our meal and each others company. Like GG the service at Aglio is excellent; polite, attentive, on hand for questions or any need we had, and extremely friendly and warm. I wanted to hang out with our server, I wanted to have him sit down with us and enjoy our meal….that never happens! We each scanned the menu and placed our orders….I went with one of their signature cocktails (The Sylvia), an appetizer (Grilled Octopus Salad), entrée (Grilled Lobster and Fennel) and a dessert (Dark Chocolate Cake with Whipped Cream). The Sylvia was a refreshing and almost sugar-free version of the classic mojito with cucumber, ginger, and mint; the Octopus Salad a beautifully presented dish of chunky octopus tentacles swimming around roasted potatoes and topped with crisp arugula; the Grilled Lobster and Fennel was half pre-shucked for easy eating, and a gluten-free dark chocolate cake with creme anglaise and whipped cream that was literally the icing on top of an already great cake to finish my meal.

The restaurant group, Plan Do See Corp can do no wrong in my eyes. Having dined at two of their restaurants within a week I got a great look at their seamless operation and fantastic food. Tribeca can get pretty pricey but a meal at either restaurant really gives you a chance to dine at a beautiful, classy and informal Tribeca restaurant, without breaking the bank! Now I need to figure out a way to move to the ‘hood…..

Ristorante Aglio

277 Church Street (between Franklin and White Street)

*The Classic Puddin’ Parfait*

It’s been a few months since word got out that a place devoted solely to pudding would be opening and I have been patiently waiting to visit. See the first time I headed over there they weren’t open yet (even though all press had said so) and the second time they were closed. So with my friend Emily by my side, we headed to the East Village for a little Monday evening treat.

Like most places in the East Village this place is small, like you don’t wanna be in there when there is more than eight people in there kind of small! From what I heard the pudding goes fast as they release their daily made puddings to the world at 4pm everyday. So when we arrived at 8pm we were pleased to see that they hadn’t run out yet (they ran out of chocolate minutes after we ordered). So if you want a specific flavor, plan ahead because it may have already sold out by the time you get there!

With this whole gluten-free thing still going strong (only two more months to go!) I couldn’t indulge in the banana pudding parfait that I wanted so I went with  “The Classic,” a triple tower of power made up of chocolate pudding, whipped cream and butterscotch pudding. I love pudding and have detailed my love many times on this blog so I was holding this place up to high standards and it did not disappoint. The first thing that stood out is the flavor, the chocolate pudding packs a punch (so beware if you get it alone as you may wanna add some toppings to cut its richness a little bit)! And the second thing I noticed was its creamy texture, so good that I literally inhaled it while Emily talked.

The place has had mixed reviews but I don’t get it. The opening hype was in my mind totally legit and totally spot on.  So ya they may run out of some things but that’s because they make their pudding in-house every morning….EVERY MORNING! I admire that kind of attention to detail and love for one particular foodstuff and thus I will go out of my way to hit this place up whenever I am in the East Village. If you love pudding then you must try Puddin’ enough said.

Puddin’

102 St. Marks Place (between 1st Avenue and Avenue A)

From now until Thursday, February 9th enjoy 1 antipasto, 1 pizza, 1 dessert and 1 glass of house wine for just $28 at either Forcella location!  Valid Sundays-Thursdays, this deal is not to be missed! Forcella masters the traditional Neapolitan pizza, but they gained a cult following with their famous “Montanara” pizza; a deep-fried version of the classic pizza margherita! Enjoy!!!!

Forcella

Manhattan: 334 Bowery Street (between Bond and Great Jones)

Williamsburg: 485 Lorimer Street (between Powers and Grand)

Walk into any grocery store and you see a divide in the produce aisle, an organic and non-organic section. I want to say that I go straight for the organic but honestly I don’t always go straight there. There are some things that I as told didn’t have to be bought organic but how was I to know what was right and what was wrong?

Luckily a good friend of mine set me straight a few months ago after he went through a complete dietary transformation. He passed along the Environmental Working Groups’ 2011 Shopping Guide and frankly, my produce list has never been the same. The EWG recommends buying organic whenever possible but let’s face it, organics are not accessible or affordable to everyone. So they created the Shoppers Guide to help consumers make their own healthy eating decisions!

So what is the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen? Well anything that falls under the Dirty Dozen should be bought organic and those in the Clean Fifteen are low in pesticides and thus can be bought conventionally. See below for their recommendations! It’s a great rule for any health and environmentally conscious produce shopper!

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dirty Dozen: Apples, Celery, Strawberries, Peaches, Spinach, Nectarines,  Grapes, Sweet Bell Peppers, Potatoes, Blueberries, Lettuce, and Kale/Collard Greens

Clean Fifteen: Onions, Corn, Pineapples, Avocado, Asparagus, Sweet Peas, Mangoes, Eggplant, Cantaloupe, Kiwi, Cabbage, Watermelon, Sweet Potatoes, Grapefruit and Mushrooms

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

But before you click off this post I wanna get on my soapbox for a quick second…..

I admit that I don’t buy everything organic but I do make a conscious decision when purchasing produce and meats. Buying organic helps support environmentally friendly farming practices (minimizes soil erosion, safeguard workers, and protects water quality and wildlife) and keeps us healthier as so many diseases are being linked to our diets. I don’t want you to blow your paycheck on buying only organic but use the above tool as that; a tool to help you make better dietary decisions.

ok. im done. do what you want with this information

Already have plans this weekend? Well cancel them immediately because you do not want to miss out on Ellabess’ Bloody Mary Contest!!!!! Celebrate the beloved brunch beverage this Saturday, February 4th from 2-5pm where bartenders from some of NYC’s best restaurants will go head to head in the battle for bloody mary glory!

Participating bartenders include those from Peels, Employees Only, Freemans Sporting Club, Anfora, Osteria Morini, Rouge Tomate, L’Artusi, Ditch Plains, Fatty ‘Cue, Dell’Anima, and more!!! Tickets cost $30 (which includes snacks and tastes of each competing drink) and can be purchased here.

Ellabess

153 Elizabeth Street (at Kenmare Street) *In the Nolitan Hotel

My dinner at Village Natural was months in the making with two friends I met through my volunteer work at God’s Love We Deliver. Fellow volunteer Andrew and I wanted to celebrate the promotion of GLWD employee Em but synching our schedules proved to be nearly impossible, until this week. Tuesday night we gathered in the Village to hang outside the four walls of GLWD  and enjoy a night of culinary epiphanies (on my end). With some dietary restrictions here and there Village Natural was chosen and I happily obliged. As someone who basically eats for a living, sometimes my body just begs for something healthy, and of course, Em is always on board to help me with that.

First off, this place is a West Village institution, it’s been there for 20+ years.  Just below the ground in a sort of English basement-like space, the restaurant plays made me feel….relaxed with quiet classical music, comfortable wooden booths, and a menagerie of different plants and gourds populating the space. A sweet old-school place that has a simple nice vibe.

This is the place to eat if you live a mostly plant-based diet, as the menu is all vegetarian and/or vegan. The menu is huge (like five pages) and has something for everyone….. enjoy meals in a variety of cuisines like Mexican, Italian, Chinese and American. Basically, you name it, they carry it.

With this whole gluten-free thing going on in my food space, I had limited options as many vegan and vegetarian diets feature grains chock full of gluten. So I went with the BBQ veggie riblets with mashed sweet potatoes and steamed greens. From the photo above it’s not too hard to see the size difference between the main and sides I was served. The veggie riblets paled in comparison tot he sides but I didn’t mind as the mashed sweet potatoes were outstanding (they had this great bite to them from the use of heavy pepper) and the steamed greens (a mix of celery, kale, broccoli and bok choy) made me a very happy eater.

I was skeptic prior to this meal (would I be hungry after? Would anything taste good?) but knew Em wouldn’t steer me wrong. I literally ate my thoughts/words as my meal was surprisingly good and satisfying. I will definitely go back (after my gluten-free trip is over) and check out the menu items I wanted to try but couldn’t. Post-meal I talked to my vegetarian friends and they all loved the place. More meat eaters should check this out for a little change of pace. For those not in the know, Village Natural is definitely under the radar, literally as it’s underground, but shouldn’t be….it’s a great spot to put some healthy food back into your body.

Village Natural

46 Greenwich Street (between Perry and Charles Streets)

Since I’m going gluten-free (till April 1st), I decided to try my hand at making some normally gluten-loaded favorites of mine  completely gluten-free (others include pizza, pie, a simple sandwich, etc)!!! After a lovely group meal at my friend Sarah’s a few weeks ago where the only thing I couldn’t eat were the pillowy soft gnocchi nuggets, I loaded up on potatoes, rice flour and eggs and tried my hand at making my first ever gnocchi! Pretty darn good if you ask me….but remember this is gfree so it’s a wee bit starchy

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 cups russet potatoes (peeled, cooked and riced)
• 2  cups rice flour (or any gluten-free flour)
• 1 1/2 eggs beaten

To Make:

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil
• Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and knead by hand until it forms a ball
• roll a piece out into a rope-like shape (approximately 1/2 inch wide) and about one foot long
• cut rope into 1/2 inch pieces and roll each top with a fork about 3/4 the way around
• add gnocchi to salted boiling water and cook for 4-5 minutes
• gnocchi are very delicate so take care when moving and straining
• Serve with your favorite sauce (I served with a pesto sauce and tomatoes) and Enjoy!

Cobble Hill favorite Watty & Meg has so many things going for it….. the best music playlist I have ever heard in a restaurant, a jovial and sweet staff, killer brunch, a warm and cozy atmosphere, I just simply cannot stop with the praise for this place. When I heard they have a burger special every Monday night, well that just became the icing on top of the cake!

Enjoy a Burger (choice of Beef or Veggie), hand-cut fries and a Miller High Life for only $10 every Monday night from 5-10pm!

Watty & Meg

248 Court Street (at Kane)

Let me start off by saying that Li-Lac Chocolates is one of my favorite places in NYC.  No joke. I worked in the meatpacking district for two years and once a week I would stop by post-work and buy myself a piece of Li-Lac’s legendary fudge. Handmade the old-fashioned way and unchanged since 1923, their fudge is outstanding. Buttery and rich it reminds me of life’s little pleasures. There are many flavors available (chocolate walnut, maple walnut, coconut, mocha and milk chocolate), but I never stray from my favorite: peanut butter. Each piece is the half the size of an iPhone and costs a mere $2.50.

A West Village icon since 1923 (they moved from their original location on Christopher Street many many years ago), Li-lac has been making old-world chocolates using only the finest ingredients, time-honored techniques and has eschewed the use of any preservatives. Nearly every recipe they was created by their founder over 88 years ago. Three generations later and nothing has changed, passing the recipes and production methods from one family member (or regular customer) to another. A regular customer (Edward Bond) bought the place years ago from the original owners but the tradition of chocolate greatness remained unchanged leading many to believe it was still under the original families ownership. When I heard that they still make everything in small batches and by hand in copper kettles and on marble tables, well I became a lifelong fan.

Other than Andre’s Confiserie Suisse in Kansas City, it is truly the best chocolate I have ever tasted. Venture in at any time of the year and you will find dozens of custom chocolate molds for the holidays like eggs for easter and trees for christmas or molds like airplanes, cars, new york taxi cabs and the like just for fun. Their best mold however has to be the chocolate letters; they have every letter in the alphabet and come in milk, white and dark chocolate. They are always a crowd pleaser and a great gift!

As a family run, local business (they have outposts in Grand Central Terminal and in Brooklyn where all production is done) it’s almost natural that the customer service is friendly, genuine and helpful. I’ve gone in hoping to get a few hostess or birthday gifts and come out with a bounty of chocolate goodies! Nearly every time I do buy a large purchase I am given a piece of chocolate for free to take with me on the go. They don’t make places like this anymore, it’s truly a one-of-a kind gem in a city overrun with Starbucks, Duane Reade’s, Subways and Dunkin Donuts!

*image courtesy of Li-Lac Chocolates*

The fudge is my personal favorite but they offer so much more and every one is guaranteed to satisfy! Don’t miss out on the kiddie pops (solid chocolate pops on a stick: available in dark, milk and white chocolate), caramel and nut bars, french style cream rolls, all-american bars (marshmallow sandwiched between two graham crackers and covered with chocolate) and mello mints (mint fondant covered in chocolate), they are outstanding!

A trip to Li-Lac must be on your food to-do list whether you are a New Yorker or a tourist! My recommendation is to enjoy a relaxing lunch at one of the surrounding restaurants (Cafe Cluny, Philip Marie, or Bistro de la Gare) and then hit up Li-Lac for a sweet treat. You’re welcome

Li-Lac Chocolates

Three Locations: West Village, Grand Central Terminal and Sunset Park