Parisi - Italian Bakery - $

Parisi Yelp-ed
(Broadway and 31st St, Astoria)

I have mixed reviews about Parisi, but some people love and swear by it. There are some things that I think are great, and some things that I think I've had better elsewhere. They're just your typical Italian bakery, selling cheesecake, cannolis, and rainbow cookies. They have a great breakfast special: coffee and a roll for $1.50, and are conveniently located in my direct path to the N/Q train. They also have a really great cinnamon raisin biscotti that I bring into the office on occasion.

I wouldn't say that Parisi is my go-to place. In fact, I would go all the way in to Veniero's in the East Village if I really wanted some great Italian pastries. But Parisi is convenient and good...

DBGB - French Fusion - $$$$

Website
(Bowery and Houston)

I was very much looking forward to trying DBGB, but sadly, it didn't live up to my excitement. I waited for a friend at the bar and had the baby shoes cocktail which was as yummy as the bartender. The space has a nice vibe- dimly lit, open area, and shelves that are stocked with all sorts of boxed and canned goods-- the kinds that my mom and I always bring back from France.

But our waiter was less than enthusiastic that night. I expect the waiters in good restaurants to sell their menu--- that is what a good waiter is supposed to do: push the best dishes. But when we asked, he was short with his answers and bland with his suggestions. The food was overall very mediocre, and I can't justify ever coming back or spending more money at this restaurant. Not one bite of anything was "WOW!" or made me want to keep eating or come back... In fact, we were so unsatisfied that we didn't even order dessert and actually went to Mark for sliders.



- DBGB Dog
(This was OK. The bun was perfectly toasted and my friend loved this, but I didn't)



- Pan Seared Scallops and Shrimp
(This was really good. The scallops were perfectly cooked and the polenta and sprouts were a really nice add to the flavors)



- Steak Frites
(This was the only entree the waiter recommended and there was nothing special about this dish at all. The fries were better than the plain steak. It was supposedly the best quality meat that you could get, but it just wasn't one of the top steaks I've had)



- Tablier de Sapeur
(Crispy tripe with tomato tripe salad. I honestly didn't even know what this dish was until I had to ask, and then, I was not happy at all. I love tripe, but you couldn't even taste or tell what this was, other than fried. I would not recommend this at all, and in fact, the waiter took this off our bill.)



We ended up spending $50 each for a mediocre meal and then went for $2 sliders to be satisfied.

2 Bros Pizza - $

http://www.yelp.com/biz/2-bros-pizza-new-york

St. Marks between 2nd and 3rd ave.

You're drunk, you want to grab a slice before heading home. You're short on cash and you want a good cheap bite. You're shopping and you need some quick sustenance.

Whatever your reason for desiring pizza, can you justify not coming here? At $1 a slice, honestly, do you need anything else? The craziest thing about it is that it's actually delicious pizza! It's not gourmet or thin crust or brick oven. It is just simple, NY style cheesy pizza. And it's $1!!! Unless I'm sitting down and being served, there's no where else I can go for pizza anymore. I can't justify going elsewhere and spending sometimes as much as $4 a slice. At that price, it's worth it to take a subway ride over there and go to 2 Bros Pizza!




Enjoy!

Bakeway - Cafe/Bakery - $

http://www.yelp.com/biz/bakeway-nyc-astoria

(Broadway and Crescent, Astoria)

I cannot love or rave about Bakeway enough. Bakeway was one of the first cafes I discovered in Astoria, and I have never needed to go elsewhere. It's the kind of place that makes me wish that I had opened it instead. It literally has everything you need in a neighborhood cafe. The decor is really cool, clean and modern with an organic feel. I really like how the bakery, located in the back, is completely open and visible to patrons. Almost everything they sell is organic, from chocolate to tea to salads/sandwiches and juices. And almost every baked good they sell is made there, from scratch. They have displays of huge cupcakes, Greek pastries, croissants, you name it. And there's also a display of ready-made cakes and cookies. The coffee is good, although sometimes I think it's a bit too strong.

-Almond brioche
(It's sticky, buttery and overflowing with goodness. It is out of control.)

This is my go-to spot and I try to me a frequent and regular customer here.

Champignon Cafe - Cafe/Bakery - $

http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/champignon-cafe/

(Madison & 96th St)

Champignon is that perfect little cafe with the perfect display of perfect pastries and sandwiches on the Upper East Side. They serve everything from cafe au lait to quiche to smoothies, and the most mouth watering cookies I've seen in a long time.

It has a cozy, French cafe feel where you can have a great cup of coffee and a pastry while sitting and reading a book. I popped in there on my way to work in the morning and ordered the Samantha smoothie- so refreshing. And I liked the place so much, that I popped back in there a few hours later to grab a sandwich for lunch.

Now, whenever I'm in the area, I will always stop here. I'm sold.

Don Jose - Mexican - $$

Website(East Hanover, NJ)

Situated in the middle of a non-impressive looking stripmall, Don Jose is one of the better Mexican places I've been to. Every inch of this restaurant is decorated in bright, Mexican colors, attracting masses of people. Once seated, you're brought chips and fresh-made salsa. Service is great, the menu is standard, but the food is delicious.


- Fish Fajita(They served me snapper fish. Fried crispy and soooo delicious)


- Guacamole

- Chips and salsa




About $20p

Mark - Burgers - $

Website

This place is one of the best burger places in the city. They have a small space and a super simple menu: burgers and fries. Their sliders are like a gourmet, perfected, white castle-tasting slider. Their fries are perfectly fried and crispy. Each table comes equipped with 4 different types of ketchups and sauces, all worth trying. But the best thing that Mark serves is their guiness milkshake. Yes. A milkshake made with ice cream and guiness. You have to try it.

This place is so good and cheap, that I was even able to get my vegetarian friend to take a night off and enjoy some sliders with me.



$10pp

Stout - Bar - $$

Website

So you work in Midtown West and you need a place to go for happy hour? Well.... Stout doesn't offer any happy hour specials. But they do offer an incredible array of beer, a huge space, lots of tv screens- if you're watching a game, but for all the bars around, this has the best bar menu by far. So when you need a place to go with friends for drink and some better-than-normal bar food, try Stout.

- Pizza
(Surprisingly amazing, thin crust pizza for an Irish place!)


- Fried Clams
(Good)

- Sliders
(They top it with the Stout special sauce, and it adds a great kick to the slider.)



Price depends on how many beers you have.

Miss Korea BBQ - Korean BBQ - $$$

Website

This place is fantabulous. Not only is the decor really nice and earthy, (literally the walls are covered with faux-rocks) but the tables are comfortably set up for BBQ. For anyone who's never had Korean BBQ, it's a great time. You literally have these mini BBQs set up at your table where you grill your own meats. Don't worry, you are not responsible for watching it or knowing how to properly cook the meat or handle your BBQ--- the waiters will frequently come by to turn the meat for you. Once you order your meal, the waiters will come and cover your table with tapas-like dishes of kimchi and radish and all sorts of dressed and pickled things that you can either snack on or wrap up with your beef. I never actually know what everything is, but it's all worth a try. All the veggies, pickles, and tofu have such a unique and delicious flavor.

I've been to a few korean bbq places before, but this one is probably the best. I find that the quality of the meat, the service, and the kimchi are the best I've had. Better than Seoul Garden, which was my favorite... until this place came along. The marinated beef is the way to go. It tastes a little like beef teriyaki... tender, juicy, sweet, yum. But try any of it. Also definitely get the Nakji-Bokkeum - spicy noodles with squid or octopus. It is SO good!

- Marinated short rib
(Beef short rib marinated in goodness)



- Nakji-Bokkeum
(The squid is so fresh and soft, the noodles are thick and have a similar texture, and the sauce is as sweet as it is spicy, and so delicious.)



I'd be curious to know if anyone has tried other dishes. Next time I go, I will get something new.

Expect to pay about $30pp.

Mango Ladies - $

All over the city, you'll find women selling bags of sliced mango on the street. Yeah, it looks suspicious. And yeah, you're in the middle of Soho and you don't necessarily want to be buying bagged mango from a woman selling them off of a little grocery cart on the sidewalk. But you won't regret it; this is well worth overcoming the awkwardness.

These bags usually go for about $3 and are filled with fresh, ripe, yellow mango. You can buy each bag and season it as you like- from salt to chili powder to lemon juice.

I opted for the chili powder and the marriage of the sweet with the spicy is perfection (and how mango is popularly consumed in Latin America and South East Asia).

Go for it. It's about the healthiest street food you can find these days anyway...

Ten Ren's - Bubble Tea - $

http://www.tenrenusa.com/

Ten Ren's is my favorite bubble tea spot in chinatown. Always a great pit stop after a morning of Dim Sum at Jing Fong's, this particular area of chinatown has plenty of great little bakeries with red bean-filled pastries and cheap street food. You also might need a break from faux purse shopping here. Bubble tea is always refreshing and i love love love the tapioca gummies at the bottom of the cup.

My favorite bubble tea flavor is taro, which I always describe as tasting like... purple. It is the color purple and has this aromatic, floral flavor, that really would be what purple tastes like, if purple had a flavor.

Enjoy a small for only $3!!

Haru - Japanese - $$$

Website

Haru is a chain restaurant with several locations all over the city. It's a large, dramatically decorated restaurant serving mostly sushi and some select Japanese dishes. I met my friend at the gramercy location after work one night. We were actually headed to Japonais but were soon disappointed to learn that it had shut down.

Haru was just ok. I feel like sushi is sushi; a spicy tuna roll is a spicy tuna roll. And I'm not into fancy rolls with mango this or crunchy that. So that said, I have a hard time wanting to pay a lot for sushi, when I can always go to the East Village spots that first ever introduced me to sushi during my freshman year of college.

We did order a great appetizer and I tried scallop sashimi for the first time, which was delicious. Dunno that I'd ever go back though.

- Mad Crab
(A really delicious appetizer of crab and mushroom with a chili sauce. If I did ever go back, I'd definitely get this again.)

- Assorted sushis
(Nothing to write home (or blog) about)



Expect to pay an overpriced amount of $35pp.

Sorella - Italian - $$$

Website

When my friend said that he wanted to have Italian food in the LES, I did a quick search on nymag.com and chose Sorella. It is even better than the reviews it got. It's this great, unassuming place off Allen St., surrounded by Chinese restaurants and shops-- you would not expect to find it there. I waited for him over a beer at the bar, that also serves a full menu. We were seated in the back- which is a really cute and intimate setting with only a few tables. Each dish is about $15, but the portions are just right, so you need a "Qualcosina" with whatever Entree you later choose. We went with "Un po di pasta" and each bite generated an "Mmmmmm," it was THAT good. But the sensory overload didn't end there. The chef, a female, has an amazing mix on her ipod that she plays in the restaurant. So not only were we loving the flavors in our mouths, but we were singing and dancing to her great mix. I seriously can't wait to go back here and I highly recommend it.




- Kale Salad
(Every bite of this salad is amazing. The crunchy kale, the sweet squash, the crunchy almond and the sweet/tart balsamic. It's amazing)

- Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad (Special)

- Tajarin
(Lamb Ragu with mint. The flavors were so fresh and perfectly cooked that you could taste each and every ingredient that was in there.)



- Oxtail Risotto
(This is the show-stopper. Serious OMG moments. Perfection. It is so good and gooey and the oxtail is so tender and perfect, and the melted cheese and the plums... it is just to die for. We shared, but I could have easily had a plate and a half of this on my own.)




With drinks, we spent about $55pp. I'll go back and drink water just to be able to go back again, and often.

Cherry Cafe - Hookah, Egyptian - $

http://cherrycafenyc.com/ (Astoria)

I really love hookah, sheesha, nargile, whatever you want to call it. It's a relaxing, social past time and it always comes with great Middle Eastern mezze. It's pretty well known that Manhattan hookah can cost around $25 per hookah, but if you venture out to Queens or Brooklyn, you can find some hookah for as little as $7! Cherry Cafe is not on Steinway, which is also known as Little Cairo. The restaurants and cafes over there can be a little intimidating, as they're filled with mostly male Arab immigrants who stare at young women who pass by. It's a cultural thing that I find best left avoided. Cherry has a younger, more diverse crowd in its welcoming space. The hookah is good and cheap, and the food was surprisingly incredible, which I wasn't even expecting!

- Melon Hookah
- Mezze Combo

- Kofta Sandwich/Platter
(This kofta was some of the juiciest, most delicious kofta I've had in a while)
- Kosheri
(It's not listed on their menu, but I remember asking for it once and they had it. It's an Ancient Egyptian recipe of lentils, rice, pasta, chickpeas, topped with a spicy tomato sauce and crispy fried onions. A carbohydrate nightmare, but total Egyptian comfort food.)
- Mint Tea
- Karkaday
(A tea made with dried hibiscus. It's tart and very sweet, blood red, and considered great for circulation.)

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