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WOW, NY Magazine was right, this is the f-ing BEST chocolate cupcake in the city. Magnolia, little red hen, crumbs etc, can all kiss my fat chocoholic ass. YUM!

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OH. MY. GOD.
I never even used to like olives, save for the tasteless black olive slices found on pizza- but then again, what item, when smothered in cheese, sauce and pizza dough is NOT delicious? Anyway, I was over at a friend’s house making dinner and saw like 6 differerent plastic containers in his fridge filled with olives. I was like, huh? Why so many kinds? And it was then that my new found taste for olives began it’s development. Green olives hand stuffed with gorgonzola. Stuffed with goat cheese. Stuffed with provolone. Spicy little tiny black olives with pits. WOW. So, I went in. I had a lovely time telling the olive maestro which ones I wanted to try as he moved around from barrel to barrel filling up containers. And then we moved on to the pickles. Horseradish pickles. The BEST new pickles ever. Super garlicky-licious pickles. I have now made a schedule change to include a once monthly stock-up visit. I LOVE finding new reasons to love living on the UES even though I constantly get harrassed for it by my downtown and brooklyn based friends. Ha! So there. You don’t have an amazing pickle and olive place within walking distance do you? So ha. I do. And if you want, come visit my up here in “above 14th st land” and I’ll take you there.

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This 5 star rating is only in regards to the following specific dessert. It’s all I’ve tried.
So. Here’s an idea. If it’s cold out, and you’re sulking and crabby, have some ice cream!
“ice cream?” you exclaim. Just wait, I’ll explain.
First of all, you’ll need to be in your own little world just enough to tune out the snooty people around you. Sit at the bar if possible. All the way over to one side. Now order a bowl of gelato with a tiny little white porcelain pitcher full of HOT CHOCOLATE. Not, hot chocolate the drink, but hot, melty, glistening, simply de-fucking-licious chocolate. It’s okay if you want to email me to say thank you.

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I had a delightful dinner with my father this evening at the Oyster Bar. We sat in the casual area at the bar where we could watch the shucking. I immediately felt the sense of a well-preserved spot that had probably been exactly the same for 50 years or more. The service was polite and available, but not overly present, which I liked. The food was suberb. I had the lentil crab soup which was hearty and wholesome. That’s a recipe I’d love to have. Dad and I each polished off a dozen assorted clams and oysters which were all fantastic and exactly the way they should be- cold, fresh, sweet and slippery. MMmmmmMmm. I am glad I got a chance to eat here and will most likely go back the next time I’m having an oyster craving. By the way, the whispering wall is right outside of the restaurant so make sure to try it out- it’s pretty cool.

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I’d been meaning to try Pure for a while..mostly for the novelty of the whole raw food movement…something that I understand and respect, but could never really stick to. I met a friend for dinner at 6:30 on a Wednesday night and we were one of 3 tables with people in the whole restaurant, which made me feel a little guilty that we were just sharing one app and one entree. Anyway, while the menu was quite appealing sounding, none of the dishes that we were leaning toward were recommended by our waiter so we tried others…Overall, it was interesting. Great presentation, and very unique flavors…but the flavors were all VERY strong and really competed with each other more than they complimented each other. For what it was, it remained kind of a novelty of a meal, but the prices made it less than fun. We skipped dessert after we nearly passed out at the $17 price tag for one. I mean, c’mon. You don’t even have to pay for gas or electric ovens!! Shouldn’t that keep costs down?? Our one entree and one appetizer (which left me feeling hungry enough to go get a cupcake for $5 at whole foods) came to $56 including tip. Seems rather ridic, no? I will not be going back. I should mention the one saving grace (aside from my awesome company) the service was impeccable. Friendly, attentive, not too-in-your-face, quick to refill low water glasses, and very helpful with advice and suggestions.

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Hype Hype Hype. I am really getting sick of sub-par vegetarian places that get slammin’ reviews. I can cook better than this with a blind fold, nose plug and a hand tied behind my back…AND I would never charge you 200 times the cost of the indredients for the meal!
The atmosphere is nice- and if there wasn’t a group of 3 obnoxiously loud girls sitting next to us, it would have been even better. The waitress, though polite when she came around, didn’t even check on us after we were served our bland meals…and we had to flag her down to order dessert. Actually, the bus boys were the best part of the staff- refilled water frequently and cleared plates in a very timely manner.
Overpriced, under-talented, Completely and totally overrated.

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Lovely outdoor/indoor garden atmosphere. It really is a little oasis in the east village, and it was the perfect spot to meet 9 others for a pre-show dinner. The food was fine- nothing to write home about. I had fish and chips, minus the chips, plus a little salad. We had some guac and chips on the table- which were quite good, but it’s pretty rare that guac and chips are not good. Avocado all mushed up. Deep fried crispy things. What could really be bad about that….but I digress. The one thing that I was highly UNimpressed with was the fact that my mojito was only 2 bucks less than my entree. A little ridic, don’t ya think? I’d go back anyway, to re-enjoy the lovely ambiance.

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This is one of my favorite spots for lunch. You can grab a salad/sandwich/soup/burger etc and a homemade lemonade for less than $10. Walk inside towards the fancy restaurant and through to the other side and you’ll find a quiet little atrium that is still outdoors, but has the view through the fancy restaurant out to the lake. Leave the front outdoor seating for the tourists (suckers 😉
I especially love the veggie chili- and ask them for a baguette with some butter for a buck- it’s worth it. Since I’m in Central Park M,W,F for boot camp anyway, it makes for the perfect lunch stop afterward. See ya there!

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eh. Not a big fan of the cornmeal crust…other than that, pretty decent pizza. Stay away from the salads unless you like brown iceberg lettuce, yum yum.

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I took my G’ma here for lunch today and it was just delightful. We both had great omelettes which were as thin as crepes, cooked perfectly and filled with great fresh veggies. It came with the most ridiculously decedent little mound of mashed potatoes with cheese and a grilled corn muffin. I also had a fresh OJ that was ‘eh’, but I blame that on the oranges. It was fairly quiet and comfortable, and one step nicer than a diner in terms of atmosphere. The strainer light fixtures overhead are very cute. I would go back for sure. The only strange thing was the service. Our waiter would stop by every 3 minutes for 20 minutes, and then would disappear for 20 minutes. He did this for the whole hour and a half that we were there. weird weird weird.