Category Archives: Food

Dinner at Balthazar

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I have always wanted to try Balthazar Restaurant, situated in the heart of SoHo and I finally had the chance this past week. Balthazar has a lovely airy interior, albeit a bit crowded and the feeling of bustling energy. It is quintessential New York: a chic, stylish, gorgeous, insomniac of a bouchon with substance.

Balthazar has a wonderful French menu, and I was having trouble deciding between the organic salmon or duck confit. However, when the waiter suggested duck confit (which was the less expensive of the two), I took his word for it and it turned out to be an excellent choice.

The duck confi was delectable from the very first bite… I’m talking melt in your mouth delicious! Tender and juicy, also seasoned well, the skin perfectly crispy and the accompanying Yukon Gold potatoes, cipollini onions, wild mushrooms complimented the dish well. The vegetables were simply wonderfully tasty, especially sauteed in the juices of the duck. There was also frisée salad which was a little superfluous, as it didn’t add much flavor but slightly balanced out the extremely rich, full flavor of everything else.

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For dessert, I chose the Warm Vanilla Bread Pudding, which came  with butterscotch sauce and maple walnut ice cream. The bread pudding wasn’t what I expected; it was a lighter version and the vanilla was very slight. It was a little on the bland side, and the butterscotch sauce was a tad too sweet but gave the bread pudding more flavor. The maple walnut also did not impress, as I expected more maple + walnut. However, it was at least delightfully moist and spongy.

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Even though the dessert was just mediocre, the duck confit more than made up for, as did the attentive service.

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Location: 80 Spring Street, NYC.

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Day at Randall’s Island

For Memorial Day, I spent the day with a bunch of friends at Randall’s Island, which is situated in the East River in New York City, part of the borough of Manhattan. It was a perfect day (albeit, a bit on the warm side) to spend outside, just chilling, enjoying each others’ company and exploring.

We started off checking out the mini golf area, which was beautiful… Complete with colorful flowers, trees which made for plenty of shade and dappled sunlight, body of water with a lone duck, rock wall formations and two lovely waterfalls.

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Then, we decided we were hungry so we sat at the outdoor dining spot of The Beer Garden & Cafe at Randall’s Island. It was a cute little spot, right in the center of everything (mini golf, batting cages, etc) and there was live classic rock music playing, which really was a great addition to the balmy  sunny day.

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My friend and I decided to share the tilapia taco with mango salsa and purple coleslaw. They were mediocre… The taste of the tilapia was weak and unseasoned. I would’ve liked more tilapia. Also, the flavors didn’t mesh well together.

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The french fries, however, were delicious. Waffle cut, crispy, golden, salted and wonderful.

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Afterwards, we went to the batting cages and checked out the upper deck of the driving range area. There was a pretty view of a large green field and part of the city.

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Next we wanted to explore the other side of the island and walk along the weather. We found an opening along the fence, so we walked over it and  got to this glorious green grassy area with the glistening water ahead and a breathtaking view of the Manhattan side.

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I just had to get in the water and it felt sooo refreshing and cool. I could have stayed all day!

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Dining at Slide

Slide is a newly open restaurant on Bleecker Street in the West Village, specializing in Sliders (What else?) My friend and I ate in the outdoor beautiful garden-like area in the back which had hanging plants & flowers, a rock wall with waterfalls that cascade gently into a pond with koi fish! It was lovely and made us feel like we were not in the city, enveloped in this outdoor haven.

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The sliders come three to an order, presented on a custom-made wooden cutting board with cylinders cut out to hold each individual mini burger. I decided to try a combination of different sliders: Classic beef slider, fried chicken with cheddar waffle, pork belly slider.

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The classic beef slider is made with a top secret meat blend that’s mixed in-house. It came with Manchego cheese, plum tomato, arugula, remoulade and caramelized onions and is delicious. The meat was perfectly juicy, flavorful, tender and all the flavors combined perfectly to create a wonderful culinary experience.

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The buttermilk fried chicken & cheddar waffle w/ maple bourbon pear butter & spicy coleslaw was decent, but didn’t quite live up to my expectations. The fried chicken was not as seasoned as I would have liked; the waffle, though orange did not have a pronounced cheddar flavor and was too dry. I had to ask for syrup to moisten and sweeten the waffle. Also, I could barely taste the maple bourbon pear butter.

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Last was the BBQ pork belly slider, which I had reservations about but turned out to be quite good. It was made with Monterey Jack, pickled onions & fried brussel sprouts. I didn’t really taste the brussel sprouts, but the pork belly was crispy, and a slightly sweeter version of ribs.

I also had Parmesan, garlic & herb fries, which came in a silver tin. They were pretty good, and had plenty of Parmesan shavings but not so much the garlic and herb. I would have enjoyed it more if the garlic and herb were mixed in and cooked with the french fries; instead it seemed like some Parmesan cheese was thrown on top and that was it. They also have curly fries cooked in bacon oil which dark chocolate shavings, which sounded delicious but a little too indulgent. Maybe next time.

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Also for next time I would like to try the CBLT -Crab cake with bacon; the bulgogi cheese steak; the lobster slider, as well as one of their shakes!

Afterwards, my friend and I walked along Bleecker Street and kept passing amazing, tempting shops with posters, cheese, macarons, books, cupcakes… We stopped in a couple of the places. I ended up trying some of the macarons at bisous, ciao which had a clear white window exterior and white walls, accented with hot pink paneling and hot pink twinkle lights. I chose lavender + honey and gianduja, which is a classic mix of hazelnut and milk chocolate. The lavender + honey was truly delightful: Light, delicate flavor of lavender married with the sweeter, richer taste of honeysuckle cream. The chocolate one was surprisingly not as delectable, and was heavier, more dense and doughy with not enough hazelnut flavor.

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Location of Slide Restaurant: 174 Bleecker Street, New York NY

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Weekend with Friends in NJ

My mother actually came to visit from California for Mother’s Day and we headed to Lawrenceville, NJ to visit with some dear friends that we haven’t seen for quite some time. We stayed at my childhood friends’ parents’ house, which brought back some wonderful memories.

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We had some tea and homemade pastries, then walked around the backyard garden which was filled with pink, red, white, purple azaleas and a dozen other beautiful plants and flowers. It was truly an idyllic scene, especially with the sunlight streaming in.

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After touring the outer loveliness of the house, we went back in for raw vegetable appetizers, then shared a meal of pasta, pork, and salad.

We headed to downtown Princeton next and enjoyed some ice cream from Thomas’ Sweets. I had maple walnut and peanut butter fudge flavors in a sugar cone, and the ice cream tasted divine. The maple walnut was sweet but in subtle way and the peanut butter fudge was rich, creamy, delicious. The flavors blended well together.

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We then strolled around Princeton University for a bit, checking out the Museum, library, chapel, different halls, and enjoying the beauty of the prestigious ivy league campus.

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SATURDAY, May 11
My mom and I headed to another friends’ home for lunch. It was lovely to see them and catch up after so many years. We had quiche, salad, grapes and yummy cookies.

Back at our other friends’ place, my childhood friend had come for the day and brought her two adorable children that I got to meet for the first time. Stella (3 years old) was shy at first, but so pretty, talkative and smart! And I loved holding little Lukas (7 months), who has such a pleasant sweet disposition and the cutest little features!

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 When the kids went down for a nap, my friend took my mom and me to downtown Princeton where we shopped at Talbots (had $160 gift card from “Katie Couric Show”), as part of my mom’s Mother’s Day gift. She ended up picking a pale pink sweater button down and I picked out a hot pink sweater button down. I tried on a hot pink dress that I did enjoy but the $100+ price tag deterred me from getting it because I wanted my mom to have the rest of the money on the gift card.

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We also got free samples at Origins (Zero Oil Cleanser & Modern Friction Scrub) and award-winning mini cupcakes from House of Cupcakes- They won the Food Network’s “Cupcake Wars!” They were absolutely little bites of heaven… Perfectly moist and sweet.

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We went back to the house after that and hung out outside while we grilled some chicken and sausage, which made for a very tasty dinner.

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SUNDAY, May 12
It was beautiful out today, so we could finally go to the gardens. I got to ride on the back of a Harley on the way there, which was a ton of fun. We then walked through the fair that was near the gardens. I found a gorgeous silver necklace that spelled out LOVE in cursive with a glittering heart dangling from the words. I also got some kettle corn to share with everyone. Of course it was delicious and oh so very addicting!

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The gardens were lovely as we walked along paths, bodies of water, bridges, and came across flowers, trees, plants, greenery.

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After the trip to the gardens we headed out to a place across the Delaware River, called Dilly’s Corner that has burgers, french fries, soft serve ice cream. There was a long line when we got there and the food was mediocre. Though the curly fries were quite delicious. I just wish I could’ve tried a shake or some of that soft serve ice cream.

All in all, a wonderful time spent with great friends. The only downside was that the weekend went by way too quickly!
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Camping in the Jersey Wilderness

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This past weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to do some camping with a bunch of friends in the New Jersey wilderness, more specifically at the Mahlon Dickerson Reservation — the largest park of the Morris County Park System and encompasses 3,200 acres of wilderness with over 20 miles of multi-use trails.

Soon after arriving and after pitching our tents, a few of us decided to take a hike through the neighboring woods. We first came across a lovely lookout point just 15 minutes from our campsite, which gave us a great view of hills, valleys, sky and soaring hawks…

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As we continued on our journey, we ended up taking the Pine Swamp Loop, following the teal (mostly) trail. We happened across beautiful streams snaking through the trees — At several points we had to cross over bodies of water.

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There was even a cute, charming wooden train — Perfect for a child to climb and pretend that it’s real! My inner child wanted to run to the train and do just that. My adult self took a break and refueled myself with trail mix and juice. We continued and reached the Highest Point in Morris County, which was 1395 Feet/ 425 Meters Above Sea Level. Granted it didn’t feel that high, and thankfully it didn’t require a lot of steep climbing.

I enjoyed being in the woods, one with nature. There was a wild, stark beauty and a multitude of thin, bare trees…

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After the hike, we returned to our campsite and enjoyed some snacks then took a quick trip to nearby Jefferson Dairy for Homemade Ice Cream. I chose the peanut butter based ice cream with chocolate brownie pieces, which was amazingly creamy & rich. I also tried some of the Pistachio which had a delightful, more subtle flavor.

Soon after, we started preparations for dinner which was quite a feast! There was bacon wrapped shrimp, skewers of shrimp & pineapple; skewers with zucchini, mushroom, peppers; hot dogs, chicken & pork burgers,  sausages; tilapia with dill sauce, vegetarian options: Lentil salad, corn on the cob, potatoes.

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And of course there were the ingredients for making S’mores. And cake, cookies for dessert. After eating, we sat around the fire keeping warm and talking, telling stories, playing “Would You Rather” and just generally enjoying each others’ company.

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After midnight, some of us hiked to nearby Lookout Point to do some stargazing and see if we could spot any meteor showers… It was lovely, perfectly quiet and wonderful to bask in the wonder of the night sky: The moon, constellations and stars.

The next day we prepared a hearty breakfast: Pancakes, bacon, blueberry muffins, bread and cheese, orange slices, and tea/coffee. Delicious!

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I had such a sweet adventure camping at Mahlon Dickerson Preserve in the Jersey Wilderness, with a great group of friends and look forward to more camping (definitely when it’s warmer out, so as not to freeze in my hot pink sleeping bag!) in the near future.

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Easter Lunch

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A friend of mine invited me to Easter lunch at her friend’s apartment, and it was a lovely time with tons of great food and conversation. We had ham, greens, well-flavored scalloped potatoes, delicious mashed sweet potato, seasoned orzo, tasty garden vegetables (onion, zucchini, carrots, sweet potatoes, peppers), wonderfully savory pasta and perfectly cooked asparagus.

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I filled my plate with a bit of everything:

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For dessert there was fruit, whipped cream cake concoction with berries, sweet apple strudel pastry,  cookies and brownies, as well as specially brewed coffee from Haiti. Needless to say, we were stuffed after our Easter Lunch.

To further commemorate the occasion, we started to watch the first story in The History Channel’s “The Bible.” It was amazing how realistic it was, and how intense, poignant and emotional the scenes were — They really pull the viewer in.

Though Easter has come and gone, the reason for the holiday celebration is still here…

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2013 Coffee & Tea Festival Highlights

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I had the pleasure of  volunteering at the sold-out NYC Coffee & Tea Festival at the 69th Regiment Armory this past weekend. There were over 75 coffee and tea exhibitors, as well as exhibitors who offered samples of a variety of cookies, cakes, chocolates, honey and ice cream. Some of my favorite brands were:

Illy (Always been a fan of this Italian espresso coffee… My favorite flavor is Latte Macchiato)

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New York Gourmet Coffee (Delicious, strong flavor)

TEA•RRIFIC! ICE CREAM (Featuring flavors such as Masala Chai; Ginger Matcha; London Mist – Earl Grey with vanilla; Chunky London Mist – Earl Grey, Vanilla, Chocolate Flakes & Pecan Chunks)

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Honest Tea (Got to take home Pomegranate Blue & Orange Mango flavors)

Fuze (Honey Gingseng & the Strawberry flavor just for me!)

SO Delicious (They were giving away coconut milk and French Vanilla coconut milk creamer)

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Press Tea (Unique way of brewing tea… Opening a shop in the West Village on the corner of Seventh Avenue South and Perry Street.)

There were also some awesome programs, such as Honey for Tea (presented by Bee Raw Honey); Coffee & Chocolate (presented by Black Owl Coffee & Kilwins Chocolates)

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Another perk of being a volunteer… The Goody Bag which was full of samples from Adagio Teas, Biscoff Gourmet Cookies, Celestial Seasonings, Choice Organic Teas, Kind Bars, Numi Organic Tea, Raw Revolution, Teeccino Herbal Coffee, Walker’s Shortbread and Wholesome Sweeteners!

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Happy Chinese New Year!

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Welcome to the Year of the Snake!

To celebrate, I had a sit-down dinner at home (I know, a rare occurrence) with family friends. We had a wonderful home-cooked meal of steamed whole white fish; Chinese-style fish with onions in a sweet/sour sauce; Chinese-style vegetables such as cabbage, spinach and tofu; fried radish; Chinese-style beef; shrimp with mushroom and tomatoes; soup of corn chowder and mushroom. Yum!

I will be continuing the celebration next weekend in Atlantic City at “Lunar New Year Extravaganza!” with a good friend of mine. We will be marching in the parade at the Atlantic City Boardwalk and be treated to free breakfast, lunch and round trip!

Wishing everyone a Happy Chinese New Year and a year full of love, happiness and good fortune!

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Hot Chocolate Crawl

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I had the pleasure of participating in a hot chocolate crawl on Sunday with the most fun group of friends ever.

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We started off at Jacques Torres, where I’ve been to previously and had enjoyed the frozen hot chocolate as well as the ice cream sandwiches. I had heard good things about the hot chocolate here so I was looking forward to sampling. My friend and I had wanted a peanut butter hot chocolate but they didn’t have that ready so we went for the caramel hot chocolate. I had high expectations and was unimpressed. The caramel taste wasn’t strong enough, the chocolate not chocolatey enough but at least we had gotten whipped cream, while other members of the group hadn’t. I then got to try the hot chocolate with orange which was much more satisfactory – delightful orange flavor and overall just a lovely mix of orange & chocolate.

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The next stop was in the heart of Soho at Vosges, which was beautifully decorated with deep purple and white. I also liked the pretty Keats poem gorgeously written out on a huge board. Everything was so lovely, but also a little pretentious. But Bianca hot chocolate was amazing. It is is made of white chocolate, a hint of lavender and flavors reminiscent of lemongrass and kaffir.  The taste was delicate, milky, luscious and unique. It was also not too sweet- just right. The finesse and beauty of this hot chocolate far surpassed that of Jacques Torres.

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MarieBelle was our next spot and this place is a wonderland of exquisite designs and chocolates. We were greeted by a very lovely staffer and she let us know that their hot chocolates are made with water, not milk, in the tradition of European hot chocolate. We thought that the hot chocolate would not  be as rich this way, but we were in for a surprise. We chose the Hazelnut hot chocolate and it was amazing- Pure chocolate taste, incredibly thick, rich, hot, and divine. It reminded of Nutella and pure delicious hot chocolate. This was the best place for a classic cup of hot chocolate, and it didn’t even need the marshmallows.

My friends went on to the heart of the West Village to visit Chocolate Bar and City Bakery, but I had other plans so sadly did not get to join them. I haven’t been to Chocolate Bar yet but have tried City Bakery and they are known for the delectable huge marshmallows- I would recommend. By the way, next month, City Bakery is having their 21st Annual Hot Chocolate Festival Calendar of Flavors! I, personally would go for Ginger, Love Potion, Ode to the Polar Bear… Care to join?

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Restaurant Week Dinner at PO

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Po is a delightful little Italian restaurant tucked away on Cornelia Street in the West Village.  The vision for Po is simple: “A restaurant that serves fresh, simply prepared seasonal fare in a cozy and inviting neighborhood setting.” And this they have done.

After we were seated, we were served a nice chunk of bread with a side of olive oil, as well as complimentary white bean bruschetta– Sliced bread with white beans and more olive oil. Even though I’m not a huge fan of beans, this tasted quite good: Full of flavor, though very oily. I also loved the crispiness of the bread.

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We ordered off the Restaurant Week Menu, which pretty much had the best dishes from the menu and even some that weren’t on the regular menu. I started off with the Sea Bass Ravioli, made with tomato sauce and scallion butter. I expected it to be a little more substantial, as the plate only came with 3 medium-sized ravioli pieces. It was also a little lacking in presentation. I thought it was decent. The sauce was light, and could definitely taste the sea bass which was the best part by far.

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My entree was veal porcini ragu with fusili pasta, which was delicious. The veal was extremely tender, full of flavor and combined well with the porcini mushrooms. The fusili was cooked to perfection and there was just enough sauce to taste, but not overpower the distinct flavors of veal and porcini. Add to the dish some Parmesan and  a sprinkling of pepper to enhance the flavors, and voilà!

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Next was dessert, which was dark chocolate terrine and drizzled with espresso caramel sauce. The terrine was delectable, with a strong flavor of amaretto and just melted in my mouth. I also loved the sweet smooth flavor of the caramel sauce to go with it. Overall, it was wonderfully rich and creamy. Almost too rich, with almost being the operative word. I still ate most of the chocolate terrine…

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My friend was able to get the other dessert and luckily, shared some with me: Apple torta with vanilla gelato. Now, this dessert was amazing! I have always been a lover of chocolate, but this apple torta was even better than the dark chocolate terrine. The apple torta came to us warm, seemingly straight from the oven. The torta was  chewy, flaky, buttery and crisp all at once. The crust was caramelized and crisp, and had the distinct flavor of caramel. The vanilla gelato was the perfect companion: Creamy, smooth, and flavorful.

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Despite my initial reservations, Restaurant Week Dinner at Po turned out to be a delightful experience with great food and pleasant service.

Address: 31 Cornelia Street.

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Take advantage of NYC Restaurant Week: Winter 2013, which is from January 14 to February 8, 2013. This is when a ton of well known and usually quite expensive restaurants offer a special 3-course meal, which is $25 for lunch and $38 for dinner. Here’s a sampling of participating restaurants: 21 Club, Capital Grille, Le Cirque, Locanda Verde, Morimoto, Nobu, The Palm Court, Russian Tea Room, and Spice Market… And I’ve been to 5 of these (for past Restaurant Weeks.)

Stay tuned for upcoming Winter Restaurant Week reviews!

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