Thursday, June 24, 2010

La Fonda

















The front for real Mexican cooking in the heart of El Barrio on the corner of 103rd Street and Lex. on the #6 line. This corner spot serves up a wide selection of Mexican foods cooked to order. A friendly waitress started me off with a small portion of tortilla chips and tasty salsa. The flor de calabaza burrito served on a homemade corn tortilla with the requisite radish, lettuce and tomato was absolutely delish and not often seen on alot of Mexican menus. The dishes on the menu are mainly under $10 and La Fonda is a nice sunny, comfy spot to chow down.
GO!

Johnny's Famous Reef Restaurant







At the tip of the Puerto Rican Riviera on the Long Island Sound sits Johnnys Famous Reef Restaurant. If you are from the Bronx, Johnnys is famous and I was introduced to the spot by a Puerto Rican girl from the Bronx and fell in love ever since. This is an old school style joint where the food is served cafeteria style(serve yourself). No fuss, take your food outside and enjoy the amazing view. Lots of food here is fried with a tried and true recipe and it rocks. The fried clams are a New England classic and absolutely the tast of summer. Raw clams, fried shrimp, corn are all great. My only gripes with Johnny's are the canned beers(not good enough for the chow) and the bathrooms outside are a little gritty. Otherwise, this spot is one of a kind and the kind of place where patrons would not want it to spruce up or change a thing. Also, prices are reasonable- you could feast for two for about $40.
Must Go!

L.A. Burdick












It is hard to find very high quality chocolate at reasonable prices. L.A. Burdick offers just that. Without the fanciness or pretentiousness of some high end shops this one aims to please and the friendly shop clerk gladly offered up some samples to help me decide. I bought two gift boxes for Father's Day and a small bag of leftover chocolate pieces for $8. The bag of chocolates was a variety of whole pieces and absolutely divine. Can't wait to restock those delectable bits.
Must Go!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

No. 28 Pizzeria Romana










Located at 196 Spring Street near 6th. Ave. in Soho this newish Pizzeria by the slice provides more options for quality slices. Offering varieties like mushroom, procuitto cotto, a standard slice, artichoke slice etc. for $4-$5, it is a welcome addition. The pizza itself is made from high quality dough and many of the slices are perfectly darkly baked, though others a somewhat dissapointing. We tried three- the mushroom, artichoke and standard slice. The mushroom was the best of the three with rich mushroomy flavor and the great crust. The artichoke contained cold, canned artichoke which underwhelmed the lovely crust. The standard slice(not pictured) was less well baked and offered flavorless not fresh mozzerella. The top pictured slice is with fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzeralla, and basil- looks like a better option. Customer-centered offerings of bottles of olive oils and flavored olive oils as well as a ultra-modern seating space make this place very user-friendly.
SLOW-GO!

Friday, June 11, 2010

Riveria Cafe













The venerable Rivera Cafe on the corner of West 4th and Bleeker Street has history and good food. The corner, windowed space make any table a virtual Village view. The food here is a cut above many diners in flavor, and value. The chowder pictured is so good, lighter, less creamy than most, though very tasty. At $5 it is a good deal. Also, great is the pulled chicken sandwich on a brioche roll served with their fantastic potato wedges, and purple slaw, costing $10.95. Friendly service and a very relaxed diner atmosphere.
GO!

Lucy's Cantina








This Cantina on the corner of 34th. Street and 8th Ave. serves the Long Island commuters wanting to drink and maybe eat a little bit as well as be served by waitresses wearing island dresses year-round. The food has slightly declined since opening as there were some tasty Tex-Mex dishes particularly the corn with stringy cheese now sans the stringy cheese is just ok. The chile was fair and the steak burrito with Lucys name seared in was tasty. Not many options on this corner, and their is a roof on a nice day with a few beers, you may not notice the food.
SLOW GO!

Friday, June 4, 2010

PopBar














Popbar is a fun concept where you choose(operative word here) a flavor of gelato, yogurt or sherbert on a stick and then choose(that word again) a dip like dark, milk or white chocolate and then proceed to have it rolled in the nuts or topping of your choice for $5. My banana gelato, dipped in dark chocolate and pistachios was a delish mix of flavors and textures. Gianduja is my next choice of flavors. There are fruity gelatos as well and an accomodating staff. On the corner of Carmine and Bleeker near Grom, Cones and L'Arte de Gelato. Choose, dip, roll and enjoy.
MUST GO!