(Apologies for the quality of the photos, spontaneous iPhone use, blah blah…) Minetta’s Tavern. A swanky nouveau-speakeasy, reconstructed from a 1930’s neighborhood Italian resto and saloon. Black and white check tiles, crimson leather couches. Glossy fresh, while retaining its authentic antiquity, the walls pulsating with the still audible echoes of our cultural forefathers (Hemingway? E.E…
Break-ups are not all bad. The proof? Neta – the happy product of Chefs Nick Kim and Jimmy Lau separating from their significant others, Masa and Masa Bar, respectively, to open a more approachable but still very serious sushi joint in The Village. I recently went there (or was taken there, rather) and had a…
A man recently asked me what my top five favorite foods are, given that I absolutely had to choose. After breaking it down for him by cuisine, dish and ingredient, I realized that I had overlooked something that I actually eat a ton of and crave very strongly when it is for some reason not…
Back in the West, I am less of a Westerner than I was in the Orient. I’m surrounded by authentic and inexpensive trattorias and enotecas, by bakeries with crusty sourdough bread and housemade marmelade, and on almost every corner of every street there is a privately owned little cafe in which every single employee knows…
I’d heard many great things about Toro, Ken Oringer’s Barcelona-style tapas joint in the South End and, having already had a wonderful meal at Toro’s Italian sister enoteca, I decided the other night to try it out with a friend. It was finally the right time to do so, as this friend had recently gotten…
A horrible rainy Sunday morning in Boston but a friend is here visiting, so brunch is in order. The pristine outdoor dining of Back Bay and the always-a-bonus people watching associated with it is out of the question. We need somewhere warm and cozy, where we can wait out the downpour and continue sightseeing in…
Feeling particularly giddy after learning how to properly prepare (and consume…) four delicious gin cocktails at the very well organized and fabulous Hendrick’s Gin tasting last week, I was feeling like a light bite to eat. The tasting was held in one of the private “classrooms” in the back of Catalyst Restaurant, located deep within…
For a simple breakfast one morning in Shanghai I chose 85°C Bakery Cafe, a bakery-cafe chain originally started in Taipei but also hugely popular in China. I figured I might as well try the way most locals realistically chow down in the morning before work, without going into a Starbucks. The place is actually more of…
Sunday “morning” and you’re in brunch mode in N.Y.? If you prefer crisp Mediterranean flavors and light, airy bites to buttery béchamel, Fig & Olive is the place for you. I recently stumbled into N.Y. to visit some long-lost lovers and slipped right into a brunch with some friendly strangers at the scenic Meatpacking District…
Ah Cheung Chau Island…. the perfect getaway from busy, noisy, polluted Hong Kong for a day of sunshine, fishing boats and awesome seafood. I went there on my last week in Asia, having checked everything else I had wanted to do off my list. I went there also because I needed a place to set…
That Best Bite 