Luke's Lobster - Seafood - $

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Who doesn't love lobster rolls? And Luke's doesn't skimp on lobster and replaces it with mayonnaise instead. It's straight up fresh lobster on a buttery, toasted roll.

Some days when work sucks, I need to go over and indulge. It really does make everything better.

- Lobster Roll




Expect to pay about $20 for 1 roll, but it's worth it.

La Mar - Peruvian - $$$$

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my friend's boss designed the space at la mar and was partially treating us to a meal there. i admit, it was never on my radar, and still having been, i don't know that i would return or recommend it to anyone. it's one of those annoying, we're trying so hard to be a sexy nyc restaurant, type places. strange high end decor (sorry boss) and expensive dishes with tiny portions. i think a lot of the ppl there were not new yorkers... just not my type of place.

we ordered everything the boss had told us to. the first few dishes were really delicious, but we were too full for our entrees and they weren't good enough for 2nd bites either. the truth is, i can't even remember the names of some of the dishes, so i'll just post pictures instead.







bill ended up being 2.5x what our budget was. i can certainly, officially say that it was SO NOT worth that amount and i'll never spend that much again!

Fish - Seafood - $$

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In the summertime, all you want is seafood. So how appropriate to trust in a place simply named "Fish"? Everyone in there seemed very happily involved with their meals and conversations. After looking around to see what people were eating, I decided to go with the house Lobster special.

For $20, I got a 1-1/4 lb lobster, fries, steamers and corn. All fresh, all delicious, and can't be beat. My friend was perfectly content with her lobster roll as well. For the value of their lobster dinner, I highly recommend this place. There aren't enough good, affordable seafood restaurants in the city and this has now become a go-to spot.



$20.

Elias' Corner - Greek - $$$

Website (Astoria)

Everyone raves about this seafood restaurant for being the best in Astoria. I'm upset that my experience at this restaurant did not live up to the great hype that Elias' Corner gets. It's the kind of seafood restaurant you want to go to. There is no menu, there is just a display case filled with the fresh catches of the day. You basically go and pick out the fish you want and how you want it cooked: grilled or fried.

My friend and I however, had a different experience. We went on a Friday afternoon, and the service was awful. We started with salad, oysters, grilled octopus and the taramosalata (caviar spread). The oysters were a huge disappointment. They tasted bland and dry, and barely had any texture; it's like they were lifeless. I never had such a bad oyster before, which was so surprising, given that we were at a seafood restaurant. Then the grilled octopus, one of my favorite Greek dishes to get at a Greek restaurant, was the worst of them all. Totally charred on the outside, it had nothing but a burnt flavor, and was mushy and gooey on the inside- totally undercooked. Clearly, whoever made the dish had no idea how to prepare it. I complained to the waitress who only offered to take it back to cook it some more. Cooking it more would make it taste more burnt. How was that a solution? I explained this, and told her that it was not prepared correctly and that burning it more would not make it taste less burnt. All she said was "I don't know." She was so unaccommodating that we just asked for the check (she did not remove the bad dish from the bill) and left.







I wish this was a better experience for me, but I will definitely go back and try the seafood that the place is famous for. No octopus or oysters next time!

We spent $35 for just the appetizers.

the walrus and the carpenter - $$$ (Seattle, WA)

Website (Seattle)

It's ironic that while I was out in Seattle, this restaurant was posted on the front page of the NY Times Travel section, which is one of my go-to guides whenever I travel.

Known for its oysters, I was eager to try. The west coast has better oysters than the east coast, in my humble opinion, so this was the perfect place to try.

We started with an assortment of oysters. Delicious. Then we had these fried English peas- really delicious, smokey flavor like I've never enjoyed peas before.







The creme de la creme was the medjool dates dessert that we chose. Medjool dates are known for being fat, juicy, buttery and delicious. These are served warm on a plate covered in vanilla olive oil and sea salt. I still dream about how delicious this dish was. I never had that combination of flavors and textures before. It was just incredible. If I ever open a restaurant, or the next time I throw a fancy dinner party, I'm stealing this recipe.



Major compliments to the chef.

We spent about $35pp.

Cabana Nuevo Latino - Cuban - $$

Website (South Street Seaport)

South Street Seaport is one of those cheesy, tourist-trap areas that I still hold near and dear to my heart. My parents used to take me there almost every other weekend growing up. It's still a great place to go when the weather is perfect and you want to sit outside and have a nice meal with the sun and breeze flowing through your hair. A lot of the places at SSS are actually terrible, so I was really surprised at how good Cabana Nuevo Latino was!

They have another location in the city, but I can't imagine that the other setting would be near as complimentary to the food as this one. The food is great quality, full of flavor and reasonably priced. I'll definitely come back here.

- Ceviche
(This wasn't very good. It was not fresh at all, and plain and simple- ceviche can NOT, not be fresh)
- Yuca Fritas
(Nice and crispy, and the mojo dipping sauce was delicious)

- Pollo con Camarones
(The presentation on this was really nice, and every bite was an "Mmm this is so good" bite. Really, so delicious and garlic-y. The chicken breast was so tender and the tostones were nice and crispy.)

- Mojitos
(Lots and lots of mojitos)

We shared all the above- mentioned dishes, it came out to about $30pp.

Taverna Kyclades - Greek - $$$

http://www.tavernakyclades.com/ (Astoria)

What comes to mind when I heard the word "Astoria" is Greek. Home to the largest Greek population outside of Greece, Astoria is a playground for Mediterranean pleasure. With tons of outdoor cafes and restaurants, you can never really tire of all the great places and foods. One of the best and most popular Greek restaurants is Taverna Kyclades. Its specialty is seafood but everything here is so good. When I have friends visiting from out of town, or when it's a gorgeous day and I feel like eating outdoors, I choose this place for its ample portions, colorful mezze, fresh seafood entrees, and the best part-- the complimentary dessert at the end. This place is definitely better with a group-- the portions are too large for a couple, you'll end up taking home more than half of what you order. But sharing will also allow you to order and try more. I haven't had anything here that didn't make my eyes bulge and my mouth super happy.

- Greek Salad
- Taramosalata
- Grilled Octopus
- Kyclades Special
- Sardines
- Scallops
- Whatever their special of the day is



Expect to pay around $40pp