Restaurant Girl: Best Food Blog & Restaurant Guide

Fire Up the Grilled Plum & Goat Cheese Pizza

Anyone can throw burgers and dogs on the barbecue and call it a (Memorial) day. But why not take your party to the next level this year, by adding a few flame-grilled pizzas to the holiday menu? We’ve topped our smoky rounds of dough with sweet grilled plums (you can use any sturdy fruit, like peaches or melons), peppery greens, and dollops of tangy goat cheese, but the sky’s the limit once you get the method down. To serve, simply cut your pies into small squares for a tasty starter, or supplement with salad, grilled shrimp, or flame-broiled pork tenderloin as part of the main event!
Restaurant Spotting: Antica Pesa

Brooklyn’s own Berry Street is a somewhat unlikely location for the first stateside outpost of Antica Pesa, a 90-year-old restaurant situated in a former Vatican tollhouse in Trastevere. Because instead of being perfectly suited to shabby chic hipsters, the sleek new restaurant seems destined to follow in the path of its predecessor, becoming an out-of-the-way haven for the rich, famous and jet set (an image search yields twenty pictures of Madonna, Ashton Kutcher and Thomas Hardy, juxtaposed with delicately swirled plates of Cacio e Pepe).
A New & Improved Nick And Toni’s in the Hamptons for 2013

It’s one thing for a Hamptons restaurant to draw crowds during the height of the summer season. But the 25-year-old Nick and Toni’s is a veritable institution year round, attracting both local, loyal clientele, and a steady stream of celebrities as varied as Bill Clinton, Mick Jagger, Steven Spielberg and Martha Stewart.

Most Recent Dish

The Best Spots for Easter Brunch

Posted on Mar 25, 2013 in Best Of, Holiday Eats

Having a leisurely brunch on Sunday is practically a way of life in New York....

Best of Dining Out During Passover

Posted on Mar 22, 2013 in Best Of, Holiday Eats

When you’re Jewish, it can be hard to get psyched about potato latkes during...

Italian Chicken Brodo with Matzoh Meatballs

Posted on Mar 21, 2013 in Recipes

Even if the matzoh balls were from a box mix, and the broth came from a can, nothing will ever compare to your Bubby’s Matzoh Ball Soup. That’s why we’re not even attempting to compete. Our Italian-inspired Chicken Brodo with Matzoh Meatballs is an entirely untraditional spin on the Passover favorite, but would be more than welcome on any modern Seder table.

Gizmo Girl’s Triple Serving Dish

Posted on Mar 20, 2013 in Gizmo Girl

The fuss that comes along with entertaining a crowd is enough to make the average at-home cook go completely insane. First there’s the preparation, then there’s making sure the food stays fresh and replenished, then there’s the clean up…the list never ends. That’s why we’re big fans of gizmos that make serving finger foods even easier. Anything that helps us spread out some snacks and promptly return to the kitchen is a huge help. Stylish, functional, and dishwasher safe are the three main things we look for in new kitchen additions, and this one’s got all three…

Best Wild Game Dishes in NY

Posted on Mar 19, 2013 in Best Of

Right about this time of year, we begin to tire of the same old roast chicken, pork chops, and grilled strip steaks. We eaters often forget there’s a whole other world of meat of the elk, venison and ostrich sorts. Well, a few, local restaurants are taking a walk on the wild side when it comes to their proteins, stocking their kitchens with pheasant, quail, and even kangaroo. Of course, rich cuts of meat like these are particularly well suited to cold weather dishes, so be sure to grab a taste before spring kicks in. Henry’s End’s Herb-Crusted Elk Chops and Casa Mono’s Quail with Toasted Quince are both excellent places to start, but these other delicious wild game dishes are worth hunting out, too!

Q & A with Back Forty’s Peter Hoffman

Posted on Mar 19, 2013 in Chef Q&A

When Peter Hoffman opened his seminal, farm-to-table restaurant Savoy in 1990, terms like “local,” “seasonal,” and “sustainable” had yet to become part of the dining lexicon. Now, you’d be hard pressed to find a Manhattan chef that doesn’t make regular runs to the Union Square Greenmarket, or a Brooklyn eatery that fails to cite the origins of its Heritage pork, free-range eggs, and artisanal wedges of farmstead cheese. And although Hoffman shuttered Savoy in 2011, he remains resolute in his mission to eliminate out of season, overly processed ingredients from his restaurant menus.

Luck of the Irish Soda Bread Muffins

Posted on Mar 15, 2013 in Recipes

A dry and tasteless Irish soda bread can be just as unappealing as a sickly sweet Christmas fruitcake. Which is why we make our version with cake flour (which has lower levels of gluten than bread, wheat, or white flour,) and take special care not to knead or overwork our dough, so the soda bread doesn’t get tough. There’s also butter and oil for moisture (not a given in all soda bread recipes,) and sweet raisins, savory fennel seeds, and crunchy walnuts for interest and flavor. Oh, and did we mention that this soda bread is made in cute little individualized muffin cups?

Le Philosophe – Reviewed

Le Philosophe

NoHo

Posted on Mar 14, 2013 in First Bite, Reviews

Le Philosophe doesn’t look much like a French bistro. Aside from the French food lingo printed on the walls, like “Plat Du Jour” and “Bouillabaisse,” there’s nothing particularly French about this spot, located on a chic stretch of Bond Street in NoHo. Instead of tin ceilings, tiles and red banquettes, there’s black ceilings, a sea of twinkling little votives to light up the dimly lit space, and an open kitchen with a teeny bar in the rear. (It ain’t no Balthazar.) The crowd is interesting and eclectic.

Where to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

Posted on Mar 13, 2013 in Best Of, Holiday Eats

You know that saying, “Everyone’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day?” Well, we’re taking it to heart this year, scoping the city for the best places to grab a pint, or feast on hearty plates of Irish Stew, Corned Beef and Cabbage, Fish and Chips, and Bangers and Mash.

The Tastiest Cemitas in New York

Posted on Mar 12, 2013 in Best Of

When it comes to sandwiches, we tend to think, well, more is more. We’re talking about All-American Submarines, piled high with cold cuts, mayo and extra cheese, or sloppy Italian Heroes, heavy with tomato sauce, mozzarella, and juicy meatballs. But as far as gloriously outsized sandwiches are concerned, the Mexican Cemita just may top them all.

Automatic Salt & Pepper Grinder

Posted on Mar 8, 2013 in Gizmo Girl

It’s no secret that cooking alone is challenging. After all, the sous...

Where to Eat Out During “Dine in Brooklyn”

Posted on Mar 7, 2013 in Best Of, Eating Events

Manhattan’s “Restaurant Week” may be over, but there’s still plenty of opportunity for frugal foodies to get in on the fun. That’s because “Dine in Brooklyn” is just around the corner. From March 11th to March 21st, over 200 area restaurants will be offering three-course dinners for just $28, three-course lunches for $20.13, and even some “two for the price of one” brunches. Sounds like a pretty good deal, right?

The NoMad’s Killer Fruits De Mer

Posted on Mar 6, 2013 in Dish Spotting, Reviews

Some restaurants just ride the buzz of their openings, becoming the hot restaurant by nature of being brand new. The mediocre and less than mediocre spots quickly peter out and fall off people’s radars while others settle into their groove. But few stay as hot as when they first opened. The NoMad is one of those delicious exceptions that’s managed to be as relevant and hard to get into now as it was when it opened just less than a year ago.

Best Comfort Foods for 2013

Posted on Mar 5, 2013 in Best Of, Winter Eats

Every cuisine has its own “comfort foods” — dishes that whisk eaters back to childhood. They can be rich and gooey a la mac & cheese or steamy and delicate, like Vietnamese Pho. You might not think about eating another culture’s staples when you’re feeling nostalgic or just plain freezing, but you could discover a new favorite comfort food. It should make a bad day turn into a good one, and make cold weather feel downright cozy.

Q & A with Salvation Taco’s April Bloomfield

Posted on Mar 5, 2013 in Chef Q&A

The term “Gastropub” gets thrown around pretty freely nowadays. It generally refers to bars that serve food far superior to the expected handful of beer nuts, meat pie, or run-of-the-mill burger. But the concept didn’t get much play outside of England until 2004, when British chef April Bloomfield burst onto the NYC scene with The Spotted Pig.

Beer Savers

Posted on Mar 1, 2013 in Gizmo Girl

When it comes to gizmos for wine and spirits, the list never ends: Fancy aerators, pricey wine stoppers, portable kegs and wine thermometers. We seem to have a fix for every problem, but what about that half empty beer bottle you want to put back in the fridge? Maybe you’re relaxing with a cold 40 and can’t finish it, or maybe everyone around you seems to think you need to put the bottle down for the night.

Boozy Beef and Beer Stew

Posted on Mar 1, 2013 in Recipes

There are plenty of recipes that call for wine, but especially during winter (and more particularly, Beer Week!) we’re all about experimenting with ale. Honestly, nothing adds depth to a dish quite as effectively as a quality bottle of beer. It’s the secret weapon in our hearty, rib sticking stew… the malt and hops deliciously accentuating its deep beef flavor and heady spice.