Bon Appetit Supper Club

Open only once a year and featuring famous chef offerings, food freebies plus other goodies. The spot on 57th street featured different chefs daily and I was there twice for the food and fun. A chef demo one day and a how-to use a coffee press the next were the featured demos on the day I was there. The food was divided into sandwiches and salads as well as hot food for the day. Almost all were under $10 bangers. The dish on the right was Ben Ford's Atlantic salmon with artichoke and potatoes with a fennel dressing for $9 and was absolutely delicious. The desserts were pretty fab and I had the strawberry, rhubarb, coconut cupcake for a desert which was super tasty. There was a chocolate chip brownie I had twice and was tdf. The second day there were foods featured by Batali and Tyler Florence and I had the clam chowder with leek cream for $6.50 which was richly yum. Free wine and free makeovers with Maybelline as well as a complimentary lipgloss made me wish this pop-up spot stayed a little longer.

L&B Pizzeria & Spumoni Gardens

This iconic institution has been family owned and operated for over 40 years. Sitting at the crossroads of Sicilian Ave. U. and across the street from Marlboro projects, L&B is still as popular as ever. There has always been something special about a warm day eating a slice of pizza outside on the benches and then a homemade Italian ice or Spumoni at Spumoni Gardens as we call it. Firstly, pizza wise skip the round slice here as it is all about the square. The Sicilian is what they are famous for and I have been eating as long as I can remember having grown up in the nabe. The square is $2.25 which is a bargain for the quality of the slice. What distinguishes this pizza is the dough, kinda sweet and fresh with very little char. The sauce is sweet and piled over the cheese instead of vice versa. Is the pizza as good as Artichoke Basil's complex square, absolutely not. Will people ever stop coming to L&B, probably not as it is quality and nostalgia all in one bite.
GO!

Char no. 4

Char no. 4 mambo no. 5. This stylish bourbon, scotch bar and accompanying back restaurant is one of the most original spots I encountered in awhile. Located on Smith Street in the midst of many good restaurants, Char no. 4 distinguishes itself with amazingly good grub. We started with the Clam Chowder to die for. Velvety chowder with super flavor finished with chopped chives and the chowder rounds floating on top. We also shared a house cured bacon with black-eyed peas cooked with a tomato coulis. This was pure pork heaven. Amazing! For the main, we both ordered the seared scallops over a mashed pumpkin for $20. Also, lots of flavor. Dessert was a homemade butter pecan ice-cream finished with bourbon. Super duper! The restaurant is decorated in beige and brown with lots of brown booths for comfort.
This place is not served with a bargain twist, but is definitely an original.
MUST GO!

AQ Kafe

Can anyone say Swedish soul food? This newly opened bakery and restaurant sits directly oposite the Time Warner Center on Broadway and 58th. Gorgeous darkly baked loaves and a yummy pretzel welcome you in. The adjacent restaurant has common and private table seating and is set up like a Scandanavian Pain de Quotioden(sic). I ordered the smogasbord plate for $12.95 and though lots of little bites all were delish. Different smoked herrings, a Swedish meatball, shrimp salad, a boiled potato and ligonberries made for an interesting taste sensation. The lovely breads were the perfect accompaniment. A weak hot chocolate sweetened the savory. Lots of sandwich options under $10 including a meatball with potato salad on potato bread or a roast chicken with potato salad sound like pleasant lunch options. The place is also open early for breakfast and judging by the look of the coffee and the yumminess of the bread it sounds like a good wake-up option to me.
GO!

Empire Beauty Schools

Located at the corner of the hub in Astoria on Broadway and Steiway, this uber friendly school, dishes out the usual, wash and blow for a bangin' bargain price of $8.32. This spot in a chain of schools is one of the nicest and easist to navigate. Not especially crowded with clients, Olga was my stylist. Of course like all the schools it is BYOS(Bring your own shampoo). Olga washed my hair and dried it with a real towel, unusual in the beauty school culture. She was an experienced stylist who had worked at a salon in Chelsea so my hair was expertly styled and I left a happy girl and headed next store to El Mundo Department Store(more on El Mundo later).
MUST GO!

Paradou

Charming Paradou is a French/Wine Bar across the street from Pastis where we could not be seated yet for our reservation, because a table for two was not available. Luckily, we wound up at the better option. Seated near the street in the small front room, Paradou has a true European feel and a relaxed vibe. We found out when Business Week came over to interview us that wine was free on Monday nights- Depression Mondays as they were called in the '80's. The food at Paradou is good, we shared a plate of cheeses pictured above with housemade confitures which balanced the cheeses with a nice sweetness. One of the confitures was a spicy apricot which added a nice kick. A package of lovely wrapped goat, a strong blue and a comte rounded out the plate for $15. My beet ravioli which was a take on a goat cheese tart was filled with herbed goat cheese, served with raw golden beet "pasta" and caramelized walnuts with beet coulis for $12 was quite good. There is a lovely garden in the back for warmer nights. My favorite part about Paradou is that like Europe we sat unbothered for a few hours.
GO!

Please tune into Business Week in review Sunday at 11:30 on Ch. 7 to see the interview.

Ikea Cafeteria Brooklyn

The classic Swedish soul food dish of Swedish meatballs, mashed and ligonberries for $5 bucks. This is a pretty good dish of tasty, multiple meat balls and creamy mashed balanced by the tart ligonberries. Wash it down with some fruity Swedish soda for a fun diversion while shopping with the masses at Ikea's latest outpost. Wander over to Baked(see below) afterwards for dessert.
GO! only for the savory.

Baked

The famous Baked cupcakes at the origninal Red Hook Bakery on Van Brunt Street. I wandered over after Ikea, a good idea to combine the local flavor with the Swedish giant. Baked is adorable, piney walls with picnic style tables and a large chandelier in the middle. A visible kitchen is in the rear where all the goodies are baked(tadum). Lot's of brownie choices, I tried the salty dark chocolate one which was quite good. A bourbon /pecan bread pudding with golden raisins was also tasty. What knocked my socks off was a "chocolate malt" which was a dark spicy hot chocolate with Jacques Torres chocolate. Baked also makes homemade granolas, lot's of cafe options abound in this neighborhoody joint.
GO!

Haircut/ Vidal Sasson

Sleek new do ala Matthew at Vidal Sasson salon. Sasson offers up assistant cuts at the 18th street branch of the salon for $20. Matthew consulted with me about my concerns, and consulted the instructor and cut away. Cut with great thought and precision and blow dryed to perfection with additional flat-ironing (a personal favorite). My new do looked stylish, sleek and if I do say so myself kinda sexy with little cut from my pocket.
MUST GO!

Stinky Brooklyn

Stinky Brooklyn takes it's cheeses and other food stuffs seriously. Pricey for Brooklyn though Smith Street is no longer the land of bodegas and hardware stores of years past. This stretch is full of cute stores and restaurants and is a destination these days. Stinky Brooklyn(love the name) stocks great quality cheeses local and otherwise with accompanying sausage, bread and jarred goodies. I was impressed by the Serrano and Iberian hams, hoofs attached which is hard to find in the states. I bought some Vermont slab bacon which looked yum. The store stocks locally baked breads and is a real delight to shop.
GO!

Pisa Pork Store

Fresh made milky warm salted mozzeralla. Homemade meatballs better than nonna. This pork store delivers the cold cuts, meats and prepared foods you would expect. Also, stocking hard to find imported foods like an imported jarred pesto only found here at Pisa. This brand is the best one I have found outside of Italy. Lines out the door on Kings Highway on Sunday for this Brooklyn treasure.
GO!

Allegretti

Allegretti is a sleek new upscale Meditrranean restaurant in Chelsea. Super attentive service in a space feeling more Upper East Side than Chelsea. House made petite rolls with olives, pesto, or rye. These were delish. We shared a salad of baby lettuce, cucumbers, radishes,shaved ricotta salata, white balsamic vinaigrette for $12. The salad had very little flavor. The main was Atlantic Halibut with risotto paella cake, crispy asparagus, pancetta with tomato diablo sauce for $38. A timy piece of Atlantic Halibut served with two fried asparagus. This course was a complete mystery, there was barely enough food to feed an Olsen twin. My dining companion's course of Organic Chicken Breast with lemon, potato fondanta and roasted eggplant with capers was bigger and far tastier. The wine list is extensive and the waiter very knowledgable about making the right choice for us. Complimentary fennel and meringue cookies were tasty. The bathroom was spot on with fresh flowers. This food is well thought out, but is far from a knock out.
SLOW GO!

Blowdry

Sleek, sexy Antonio Prieto salon on West 20th street offers it's assistants a blowdry class Wednesday morning. For you that means if you are available you can make an appointment for a top-notch complimentary blowdry. You change into a robe and sit down for a consultation. Your face shape and blowdry preferences are discussed and then the blowdry begins. Brad coiffed my hair to perfection. Fabulous!
Must Go!