Horizons Store

Cute, colorful Horizons is accross from my favorite bakery Cheeks on Metroplitan Ave.at number 377. The hot pink, peach color drew me in to this vintagey shop. For a smallish shop the clothes seem handpicked with lots of better pieces to pick from and few to sift through. I bought a long pink cotton sleeveless top, with a Euro feel for $40. Great designer shoes like Ferragamo, Bruno Magli, Joan and David and more were available and all super cute and reasonably priced. Very nice owner and enjoyable shopping experience.
Go!

Rabbithole Cafe

Like the nearby Dressler restaurant, Rabbithole is a designed to feel like old New York. When you walk into through the original wood door and peer down at the wood plank floor and then gaze up at the tin ceiling, vintage chandellier and mirrors you are transported. The long shop boasts a garden in rear with tables near the garden or in the front with a view of Bedford Ave. so all tables have a nice vantage point. The guy behind the counter was very accomodating and I am always wary of eating in a cafe though the pastries looked enticing more on those later. There are salads, paninis and bagel combos to eat. Options like a hummus plate are $7. Bagel combos with coffee and tea are $6.80 with cutie names like the Cliff which icludes bacon, red onion and swiss or the Gooey which is tuna, tomato and melted swiss. The salads are about $6-$8 and I ordered the big Bad Wolf which contained greens, bacon avocado, swiss and homemade vinegarette which was very good and a chocolate chip cookie for $1.50. The cookie looked like I like them to look darly baked and rustic and was a perfect example of a homemade classic chocolate chip cookie. Other pastry options include raspberry chocolate chip rolled scone and apricot walnut rolled scone etc. which all looked yummy. Other goodies recently include homemade banana bread and a rustic apple cake.
Must Go!

Brooklyn Diner

I have eaten at Brooklyn Diner numerous times and always leave feeling unsatisfied, mainly because the cost of items at this upscale diner is so inflated. Some of the items I have eaten here are quite good like the Greek salad which you can add fried chicken to and is super tasty. My last meal pictured above was the cheeseburger deluxe which was rated as NY Mags best burger in '07 and a chocolate egg cream. The egg cream at $5.(ouch)was recommended by my dear friend and egg cream expert is one of the few authentically made egg creams and was perfect. The burger on the other hand looked great smothered in onion rings with cheese and applewood smoked bacon. When I tasted the burger, first thing I noticed was that it was overcooked, as was my dining companions, the bun was toasted and undistinguishable and the fries tasteless. Later, I realized that coleslaw was not included in the mix and at $16.75 for a pre-theatre lunch this mama was not happy. The space is very spiffy with an art decoish design though the use of the small space is a tad awkward. Nice john in the rear. No bang for the buck here.
Slow go!

Blue Marble Ice Cream

Farm fresh,organic ice-cream created in small batches in an upstate creamery is the Blue Marble credo. Their second location opened a few weeks ago on Underhill Ave. and Sterling in Prospect Heights. A cute picket fence lined shop is reminicent of the country. Flavors are plentiful with the usual suspects of vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and coffee as well as changing flavors and sorbets. I opted for the consientious chip and chocolate chip. Both were super creamy and fresh tasting for $5.50. Their ice-cream is quite good, though seems to lack the same intensity as others that are created on premises. The store also serves freshly baked goods from the bakery, Baked in Red Hook as well as loose teas from in Pursuit of Tea. There is a toilet in the rear of the kiddie area in the back of the store and a garden with kids toys connected to the kiddie playground. Super kid friendly.
Go!

Saigon Grill

Today was my second visit to Saigon Grill and I can't manage to tear myself away from the grilled porkchops which is on the lunch special for $8.75 pictured above and served with jasmine rice and pickeled cucumbers, cabbage and carrots with a tangy sauce and hot spices if you can tolerate it. The pork chops are marinated in a mix of honey and spices and grilled. This being a grill, the pork chops are succulent, sweet and carmelized at the edges. The meat paired with the pickeled salad and jasmine rice offers a great balance of flavors and textures. The space at Saigon Grill is soaring and sumptuous and the lunch specials are almost all under $10. At lunch the restaurant is moderately busy, though I have seen a wait outside at dinnertime where the prices are about 30% higher. I would recommend lunchtime for the real value. Bathroom is multi-stalled, new and unremarkable.
GO!

Chiles & Chocolate oaxacan kitchen

Oaxacan kitchens are famous for their moles utilizing the ingredients of chilies and chocolates and this busy little north slope spot offers several. Chiles and Chocolate offeres an extensive menu as well as a $12 brunch special that is special because the food is made to order and authentic. The space at 52 7th. Ave is narrow with photos of Oaxacans on one side and Mexican mirrors on the other that create a feeling of extra space. There is a tented area out back which was full on a Sunday. I ordered the chilaquiles and spicy hot chocolate(chilies y chocolate)for $12 and side orders of guacamole and elotes del zocalo(spicy corn on the cob). The meal was a taste fest of flavor. The chilaquiles are a casserole of chips soaked in a spicy salsa, grilled chicken and mexican rice and beans. The fire roasted corn on the cob which I spied cooking up fresh on the way to the bathroom before brunch was one of the best I've ever had. Served on a plate with romaine, radish and pickled red onion with cheese, chipotle and chocolate on the corn. The guacamole was fresh with lots of cilantro and citrus flavor. The only dissappointment was the hot chocolate which was not chocolately or spicy enough to taste. The toilet is tiny in the back of the narrow open kitchen which churns up Oaxacan treats and according to their menu this is not a Mexican Restaurant.
Must Go!

Shake Shack

The line was snaking almost around the block at 12:30 on this lovely almost summer day. This institution in Gramercy park is perenially packed for yummy burgers, Chicago style franks and hmmmmmm good frozen custard my personal fave. Since Custard Beach closed a few years back this is the only spot to eat homemade custard. Today, I order my usual Shack-Cago dog for $3.75 and a homemade lemonade as well as the custard flavor of the day which was cherry chip and also a chocolate custard. My friend ordered the hamburger and fries with cheese sauce. The frank has a nice bite along with cucumbers, pickles and "scary" fresh tomatoes on a poppy seeded bun. Spicy good mustard is available at the condiment table. The cheese fries are made from yukon gold potatoes and are tasty. The lemonade was flavorless as so many restaurants offer a good homemade summertime lemonade. My custards were silky smooth and delicious. The cherry chip has pieces of chocolate chips and a nice cherry flavor. Summertime is Shake Shacks busiest season so if you don't mind the line.
Go!

Downtown bakery Mexican food

This little spot churns out homestyle Mexican food and a few baked goods and has occupied the same spot at 69 1st. Ave. and 4th. Street since 1989. The owner graduated from elementary school across the street and has planted himself in the neighborhood ever since. There are three sticky tables and a counter with 4 barstools in which to eat. Pictures of Mayan goods and Mexican figures provide the only decoration here, and this spot makes no pretense about anything other than the food which is freshly made to order, cheap and good. There is an extensive menu including many breakfast burritos, tacos and platters and I already plan a breakfast excursion shortly. There are a few specials per day and mine was chicken chipotle which is pictured for $8. A large burrito arrived slathered with homemade guacamole and crema(Mexican sour cream). Spicy chipotle chicken, and black beans in a fresh flour tortilla. Que rico!
Go!

Griff's Gelati

On my never-ending quest for homemade ice-cream a new spot opens around the corner from the great ice-cream at the Odeon cart. Do I dare risk that the newcomer could be better? Well since at noon on Saturday, the Odeon cart had no ice-cream ready, the choice was clear. Griff's was also still setting up and the ice-cream was a tad soft. The ice-cream is sold out of a little closet on Duane Street and made by the Duane Park Restaurant daily. I tried the smores and bourbon pecan flavors. The bourbon pecan was quite tasty with a definite bourbon taste. Smores are a combo of chocolate and marshmallows, this ice-cream combo lacked flavor. I finally settled on grape ape which was grapey and good. Ice-cream here is $3 for one flavor and $5 for two with no homemade cones. No special toppings as mentioned in the Timeout NY blurb were anywhere in sight.
Go!

Scarpetta's

Located in the Gin House space on West 14th. Street, a diamond in the meatpacking district has emerged. Scarpetta's is a an upscale Italian with super service and delicious food that is on the pricey side. The space has been transformed into a brown, beige and black ultra modern room with brown banguettes and cool open skylights. There are mirrors on the walls with beige belt like pieces hung vertically in a strange design decision. There is a large wine room in the rear of the restaurant and an extensive selection. The bread arrives with four different kinds of house made breads including a lovely focaccia, pancetta bread, baguette and a roll. To enjoy with the bread are eggplant caponata, marscapone butter and citrus infused olive oil- all delish. To start we shared a scallop carpacio which was citrusy and light. Also to start was a mozzarella in carozza. The carozza was prepared in a Japanese panko which was good, though there was a tad too much oregano in the accompanying red sauce for my taste. The main courses were a raviolini with squash blossoms and a calamerata pasta with mixed seafood. The raviolini had pieces of baby zucchini as well as the squash blossoms and was flawless. The calamerata has a seafoody taste and was very interesting to taste. There was also an order of frito misto with fried seafood with lemon, again perfect. This is a place for a special dinner with exceptional service and a pricetag to match.
Must Go!

Resto

Resto the Belgian spot on East 29th. Street has been opened for months and recently also open for lunch. I had high hopes for Resto as I love Belgian food, having traveled to Belgium and enjoyed local spots under the last Belgian wave in NYC about 7 years ago. The restaurant looks like it was created with a Belgian farmhouse style in mind with white stucco walls, a natural wood waincotting and new tin ceilings. A modern bar with metal stools and bar hooks on the bar are there when you need them. Lot's of Belgian brews on tap available from the land of great beer. Being in the mood for a really good burger for lunch, I thought I would eat well here. The burger/fried egg optional is a small cylinder on a plain bun with gruyere red onion, pickle, fries and a side salad for $15. I was dissapointed to find the bun on the burger was not fresh so I put it aside. The burger was charred well beyond the medium requested, and the frites tasted reheated instead of freshly fried. My friend ordered the fish and chips for $20 which contained only a few small pieces of cod and frites with tarter sauce. She appeared moderately happy with hers. My biggest joy of this lunchtime meal was seeing the charming bathroom with moulin rouge style wallpaper of ladies gams and lingere as well as piped in music with a lovely country sink and beautiful wood sliding door.
Slow Go!