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 I’ve been meaning to try Parlor for a couple of years now and when my father asked me to pick the meeting spot for a family dinner, it was the perfect opportunity to finally try it.
On the corner of E. 90th and 3rd ave, an area that is mostly tiny asian places and pizza joints, It has quite a presence to it. It’s business/casual with an ever-so-slightly funky edge to it- a little different that most of the uber-masculine steakhouse that speckle the city. In warm weather, they round the corner with tons of outdoor seating. We had asked for a quiet spot, but once we got there realized there was really no such thing. It was totally jam-packed with a typical UES crowd on a Monday night. I’d imagine a weekend dinner requires a reservation.
 They have a 3 course prix fix for $35 which was totally reasonable and had plenty of choices that sounded great. As is typical for me after a winter of running half the mileage that I do in warmer months, I’m trying to get a few lbs off that have crept on so I ordered healthy choices. I do, however, follow a strict ‘everything in moderation’ theory and budgeted my calories/fat with my entree and app so that I could save some room for the fresh baked cookies dessert. I usually don’t do things like not-ordering-steak at a steakhouse, but I did make sure to taste off the plates of those who did. My brother’s cheeseburger was especially noteworthy, as were the needle thin crispy onions that came with it.
I started with the baby greens salad with beets and radishes and thought the uncut lettuce leaves were kind of annoying. If they are truly baby greens, wouldn’t they be tiny leaves? I think this was really just butter lettuce. Adult butter lettuce. I also felt that 3 square centimeters of beet are hardly enough to get that ingredient highlighted in the description. It was fine though, just nothing noteworthy.
Next I had the garlic crusted salmon over spring peas/lentils with a horseradish sauce. I asked them to prepare it with minimal fat/butter and made a note to myself to take that into consideration when I went to write my review. I have to say, there was no compromise at all. This was a really outstanding piece of fish, cooked perfectly with a crisp topping and a slightly raw center- exactly the way I like it. The fresh vegetables underneath were cooked al dente, lightly seasoned and tasted of the season that we are supposedly in the middle of.
For dessert, a plate of fresh-out-of-the-oven cookies were totally charming, but I kind of wish I had taken them home to enjoy at midnight with a glass of cold milk.
Overall, I’d definitely recommend Parlor to others. Knowing myself, I’ll be too busy trying the zillion other awesome restaurants in this city to find time to return to this one…but ya never know. Once I’m back down the 3-5 lbs I want to lose, you might find me there chowing down on my own cheeseburger.

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www.bitehunter.com

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This might be the absolute perfect ending to a beautiful 5 mile run on a sunny Saturday. My friend and I wound up here at the end of our route today and decided to have lunch outside. Within a few minutes of sitting down, we were freezing and decided to go sit by the heat lamps in the covered section instead…Muuuuuucccchhh better. I ❤ heat lamps.

We both had turkey burgers with cheese (that came with potato chips) and they totally hit the spot. Nothing to write home about food-wise, but it’s the location that’s key here. Where else can you eat a $10 lunch while looking out onto the Hudson? And the burgers really were pretty good. Was it because we’d just had a great run and were starving, or were they actually really good? I’m not sure…and I’ll probably never know since I most likely will only be eating here post-run.

That said, I plan to do that pretty often from here on out now that I know about it! The menu was small and simple, but had the things I’d want for lunch like a burger, a grilled chicken sandwich or a caesar salad.
I also REALLY liked the crowd…Mostly filled with my type of people… bicyclists and runners pre or post exercising. It felt like really comfortable group to be around when I was in no makeup, hair in a ponytail, sweaty and in running clothes. I imagine that might change as we get into warmer months ahead and the crowds get thicker. Today was a quiet day (the outside picture up on the top left is not from today) and there were only about 30 people total there.
Next time I go for a run on the west side I will surely be back!

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 I recently had the pleasure of teaching intensive private voice lessons to a lovely young woman who was here visiting from Sweden. (17, hour long lessons in one month!) (www.careyspassionvoicestudio.com for more info)
 In one of our conversations I asked her about her findings, if any, of good Swedish food in NYC. I do not know enough about Swedish food to be able to judge whether it’s a good representation or not, but I DO know that I like every single Swedish meatball I’ve ever tried. Be it the Lean Cuisine frozen dinner (which I imagine would offend the Swedes), the cafeteria style ones at Ikea, or the various Bar/Bat Mitzvah/Wedding appetizers on toothpicks, they are all pretty tasty as far as I’m concerned. When this student finished up her series of lessons, she surprised me with a generous gift of a credit at the restaurant she had discovered and raved about.
There are a few locations for Fika, and my first attempt was actually to the one in midtown. It was so tiny and crowded, with only a couple of stools and small tables that my friend and I decided to go somewhere else for lunch that day (If you’d like to read about that one, please see http://careysculinaryadventures.blogspot.com/2011/02/todd-englishs-plaza-food-hall-1-w-59th.html) and retry a different Fika location next time. We did a little looking around online and found that the Pearl street location looked much more promising as far as getting a seat and relaxing over lunch.
Although their business was steadily hopping, there were plenty of places to sit when we arrived. We ordered our Swedish meatball platters and a salad to share and were told that they’d bring it out to us when it was ready.  As we sat down I had a moment to notice my surroundings. It does sort of feel like it was designed at Ikea. It has a sleek decor, shiny black tables with sharp edges, bright, modern lighting, a view of the chefs making chocolate, plenty of gift items and cases of delicious looking sandwiches and desserts. The crowd was a mix of financial/business types and international tourists. The items they serve seem to all be authentically Swedish- but what an odd mix. It’s essentially an espresso bar that serves fresh chocolates and meatballs among other things.

Our salad was lovely and large, more than enough for the 2 of us to share. Fresh ingredients with a great, light balsamic dressing. The peeled orange slices and slivered almonds were a nice touch on the mesclun/radish/tomato salad. The meatball platters arrived and we joked a little about our ‘light’ lunch of meatballs and a mound of mashed potatoes the size of 2 fists. We probably could have shared one order- but they were so tasty that both of us pretty much filled our tummies to the brim. Delicious. So THIS is what ‘real’ Swedish meatballs should taste like. It’s a really interesting flavor, complex and earthy with a pungent, sweet accent. We had trouble figuring out exactly what the herbs were- but maybe sage and/or rosemary? It came with a side of lingonberry sauce- which frankly, tasted exactly like cranberry sauce to me, and it was perfect alongside the rich meatballs. The mashed potatoes were ohhhhhhhhh so good. Creamy with just the right amount of lumps. A treat I rarely consume but can’t turn down if they are right in front of me. I guess tomorrow’s run will be extra long to compensate- but it was sooooooo worth it. I had every intention to get an espresso drink and dessert, but was way too stuffed to even contemplate it by the time I finished my lunch. I will plan to go back on another occasion to try a few things. There was a marzipan covered cake with my name all over it, not to mention the tiny, perfect looking pieces of freshly made chocolate. I’m so glad I was introduced to this restaurant. It’s definitely not the same ol’ same ol’ menu-wise, or in a neighborhood I usually venture to, and I look forward to returning soon.

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It’s one of those rainy, dreary NYC days where I didn’t really feel like doing anything except hanging around and cooking for the week ahead. I recently had a wonderful pasta/seafood dish at my friend Deb’s house, and I wanted to see if I could recreate something similar. I was just playing around with things I almost always have on hand (except for the crab which was in the freezer- not a common ingredient in my house at all) and this pasta bake surprised me and came out great. It will surely feed me well for a bunch of meals in the coming week.  I usually try to go heavy on the veggies and light on the carbs in this kind of creation, and it worked really well in this one. As always, my recipes are just concepts- meant to be played around with and loosely interpreted.

>I’m convinced that having a compatible dining partner  is almost as elemental to NYC life as having a stack of delivery menus, comfortable-yet-fashionable shoes and a metrocard. ‘B’ and I try to go out to eat once a month or so. We have intellectually stimulating conversations, share a love for trying interesting restaurants, enjoy schmoozing with the waitstaff, and share a similar schedule with Fridays off. Perfect!
Today we went to Dovetail on the Upper West Side. I always preview the menu online before I go to a restaurant and was instantly drawn in to their website with such beautiful photos showing inventive and creative dishes. http://www.dovetailnyc.com/  I had an idea of what I’d order, but as always planned to ask the waiter for his suggestions. Since I have very few dislikes when It comes to food, I almost always take staff recommendations to heart and today was no different.
We each ordered a glass of wine, a Sauvignon Blanc for me and a Rose for ‘B’. I loved mine right away, but ‘B’ was not thrilled with hers and switched to a Pinot Noir that made her much happier. I wondered if they’d charge for the rejected Rose, but they did not. Excellent customer service. Speaking of which, our waiter was fun and friendly and helpful. I took recommendations for all of my courses and he was spot on. Judging by the very appealing prix fixe menu, I think it’s hard to go wrong. Everything sounded delicious.
An amuse-bouche was brought out first. It was a mushroom gelee with radish. Very interesting texturally, but I doubt I’d want more than that one little taste. It made me think of mushroom flavored gefilte fish jelly. I guess I’m not a big fan of gelatinous foods because I will always associate them with that dreaded fish jelly that I always had to scrape over to the side of my Passover plate as a kid. I won’t hold it against anyone except whoever came up with that horrible idea in the first place. We also got two pieces of warm, fresh, cheddar cornbread that was totally scrumptious.
For my first course, because the waiter recommended it and because it sounded whimsical and silly, I ordered the salsify soup with marshmallow, chives and apple. Wow- SUCH a great presentation when the waiter brought the bowl of marshmallows and apples out, and then poured the hot soup over it at the table. The small, perfectly cubed homemade marshmallows started to slowly melt into foamy, sweetness and were an amazing compliment to the hearty, earthy soup. The apples were peeled and cut into tiny little marbles and the combination of all of those flavors and textures was incredible. This kind of creativity is what I love most about NYC restaurants.

For my entree I had the hake, a fish I don’t believe I’ve tried before. It was flaky and light, with a bright, lemony flavor, peppers, potatoes and artichokes. A great choice for lunch, and the perfect portion size. I know a lot of people would disagree with me, but I prefer a small portion, especially at lunch time. A tiny plate of excellent quality beats out mass quantities of anything in my book. This was satisfying without being filling, and to walk away from a three course lunch without feeling full to the brim is a major perk to me. 

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I ordered delivery last night from Andaz Indian Restaurant because I had a 25% off coupon. I am not a huge fan of Indian food, but a few times per year I get an intense craving for it- and this was one of those times. 
I ordered 2 of the most highly rated items on the menu, putting my trust in Yelpers and seamlessweb.com-ers. The Saag Paneer (spinach with cheese) was awesome- huge chunks of the paneer cheese and fresh spinach and spices. The lasooni Gobhi (cauliflower in a sweet red sauce) was also good, but the sauce was a bit too sweet for my liking and tasted like it  was definitely ketchup based. Both dishes were quite tasty when eaten folded up on the nan, even though the nan itself was on the greasy side. I always love the sauces that come with Indian food, and the cilantro sauce cut the sweetness of the cauliflower just enough. I also ordered a mango lassi – a mango yogurt drink, that was such a bright shade of orange that I assume they must either add food coloring or perhaps some canned fruit to get that intensity. It tasted excellent, and I wished I had more when I finished it. The basmati rice that 

came with my meal was fine, but it’s just plain rice, so I put it in the fridge to use for something else. The nan bread was plenty of carbs for me, and I didn’t feel the need to waste my appetite on boring rice. They also included some kind of dessert, free of charge. As much as I love free stuff, when it’s an orange rice pudding-ish, jello-y thing with soggy cashews and raisins, It goes straight  to garbage-land. Yeah. Not interested. 

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It was a special day today, my beloved Grandma’s 95th birthday! To celebrate, My aunt took; me, my cousin, her boyfriend, and of course G’ma to have lunch at Le Perigord in midtown. I read some mixed reviews online and learned that it’s a 45 year old, traditional, French restaurant that is well loved among the older generation, but is not particularly popular with the under 50 crowd. Always excited to try something new, (especially when I am being treated by someone else, thanks Aunt Roberta!) I looked forward to forming my own opinion about it. As far as I’m concerned, any restaurant that can survive 45 years in this tough city must be doing something right.

When we arrived, there was only one other table of patrons there and plenty of waitstaff on hand. The atmosphere is definitely traditional French; white tablecloths, white plates and light green chargers, polished silver, with lovely floral displays of forsythia and gorgeous roses. There is nothing at all trendy about this place, and there shouldn’t be. It is truly a taste of what classic, refined NYC once was, and it’s one of the few that remain unchanged. This is not a place to come with a group of friends, but your grandparents? Absolutely.
The waiters were neatly dressed in tuxedos and were slightly rude at first. Apparently changing a reservation from 4 people to 5 was a huge inconvenience to our waiter. Being that the whole entire restaurant was empty except for 2 other people, I thought his reaction was a bit dramatic. Also off-putting was his snarl at my aunt who dared to interrupt him with a question while he was trying to tell us the specials. He actually said, “If you would wait until I finish…” How dare she! The nerve!  Luckily, my multilingual cousin was able to win him over with her impressive fluency in his language. Thank God, because I think he was about to snap. Way to go Steff, you saved the day! From that point on, he treated us beautifully, almost like family- and it made for a great meal.

We were given a choice of baguette or brioche, and  both were delicious and very fresh. I started with the little neck clams, which were very good- but very simple with just lemon and a shallot vinaigrette to top them with. For my entree I had the roast chicken with morrels (the best part of the whole meal), spinach and potato gratin. This entree was not exciting or bold but it was actually refreshingly simple. In a city where all of the chefs try to out-invent each other in a competition of creativity, this was just good food. No frills, no pomegranate caviar flan, no macadamia brittle prawn flambe, just seriously good food. Exactly the kind of food that Julia Child would have loved. Loads of butter, loads of wine and liquor, top quality ingredients, old trusted recipes.
The desserts were plentiful but only so-so. The chocolate souffle that we ordered for the table was tasty. What hot-out-of-the-oven chocolate item is NOT tasty? But, it was really not a souffle. It was something else more like a pudding cake. Or an undercooked pudding cake. We also tasted the chocolate mouse with Grand Marnier whipped cream, the caramel apple tart and the berry tart and all were good. Not fabulous, but pretty good.
Overall, the company I was with made this into a very memorable lunch, but the restaurant itself was not my favorite. I would not, however, hesitate for one second to recommend it to others- especially if you like the flavor of old NYC history. I guess the truth is that while I appreciate a good roasted chicken with a little history on the side, I really do prefer the macadamia brittle prawn flambe and a little trendiness when given the choice.

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 A friend who lives nearby and I decided to meet here for an impromptu dinner tonight. Funny that I’d never been since it’s a whopping 3 blocks from my apartment. Of course, I read some reviews online before going so that I knew what the best liked dishes were. The dumplings were mentioned repeatedly, so they were surely going to be ordered.
When we arrived, it was pretty empty. Only 2 other tables had patrons and a third one filled by the time we left. It draws an older crowd, if I base my assessment on tonight’s small  sampling of diners, and although the walls and ceilings are painted in rich hues of oranges, reds and pinks, it feels strangely stodgy.

We were a little bummed to find they did not offer the crunchy noodles with duck sauce to munch on while we looked over the menu, but they did bring out a little bowl of peanuts and another of sweet, pickled cabbage and carrots that was pretty enjoyable.
We shared the pork juicy dumplings to start and the mango chicken with brown rice as our entree. The dumplings really were excellent- some of the best ones I’ve had around here. Apparently, they use a small cube of frozen broth inside to keep the filling moist and their technique works beautifully. Careful though, those little packets of yumminess  are piping hot. The chicken dish was also quite good. Tender, thinly cut white meat with sliced mango, red pepper and snow peas in a tangy sauce. Although I really did enjoy all of the food- probably more than a lot of other uptown Chinese restaurants, I probably won’t ever go back because it’s ridiculously overpriced. One appetizer, one entree and one beer came to almost $50 with the tip. Outrageous, especially for the skimpy sized plates. Usually, you expect to take home abundant leftovers from a meal like this, but the portions were so small that we finished everything. The service was very good and the atmosphere allowed for lingering and chatting, but unless that’s worth $30 to you, go get the same meal somewhere else for $20.

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The lovely manager of this new location was kind enough to invite me in for a tasting a couple of weeks ago and I finally had a chance to stop by today. 55 sunny degrees in February in NYC made for a pretty crowded afternoon with the seats filled mostly with Upper East Side moms and their kids.
 It is SUCH a cute shop, decorated in funky, bright, cheery way, and totally inviting with it’s cushy mint green benches and plenty of clean tables. The staff is warm and outgoing, and made me feel very comfortable sampling the many flavors. I was even presented with a gift card to return another day for a full sized treat, how awesome! It
will definitely be used soon.
I have to say, this is the end of yogurt at Pinkberry for me. I would be shocked if it’s not closed within the next few months since it’s on the same block. This place is FAR superior. The choices alone make it an easy choice, not to mention the fact that the yogurt is much creamier, the flavors more exciting and the atmosphere more accommodating than their tiny competitor.
I sampled a bunch of different flavors, some low-fat and some non-fat and was pretty impressed with all of them.

 I anticipated a similarly chemically taste to tasti-delight (1/2 a block away), but these were surprisingly authentic and pure tasting. My favorites were the pistachio and the birthday cake. Knowing that they change out the flavors frequently, it will be fun to go back to try some other options. The toppings bar is extensive and appealing. Just about anything you can imagine was there. There should be a warning sign though…I imagine a lot of people think they are making a relatively healthy choice by going for fro-yo instead of ice cream, but then they load on cookies, chocolate, candy etc and by then it’s probably approximately 800 calories worth. It is kind of funny to see adults like kids-in-the-candy store at the bar though. Watching people loading on a little of everything was totally amusing. I was really temped by the little squares of rainbow cake (one of my favorite things in the world) but this time just wanted to taste the yogurt by itself to really be able to evaluate it. Next time, bring on the myriad toppings! I’ll be back soon…especially if the weather stays this spring-like.