French Culinary Institute
You do know you don’t have to go to a restaurant on Valentine’s Day, right? You could take a cooking class together. That’s romantic and useful. And there are plenty of classes to choose from at the French Culinary Institute around the 14th. This year, they’ve got a Artisanal Bread Baking class, and a Wine Class for beginners. If you’re not looking to get your hands dirty, you could book a table in the Monte Bello Dining Room inside the school, where FCI students will prepare a meal just for the occasion with wine pairings to...
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The McKittrick Hotel’s Valentine’s Dance
If you’re looking to spice things up and do something a whole lot different this Valentine’s Day, The McKittrick Hotel is the way to go. Constructed in 1939, the hotel was planned to be the most luxurious of its time. Unfortunately, World War II prevented the hotel from ever opening its doors, but after seven decades, it’s being reopened as one of the most original theater experiences in history. With an interactive performance of Shakespeare’s Sleep No More, you’ll be able to choose your own path and eat and drink plenty along the way. And after the performance , they’ll be a Valentine’s Day ball with mandatory Jazz-era attire required and plenty of...
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Astor Wine & Spirits
Maybe this is your first Valentine’s Day with your significant other, or maybe you just really need a casual, relaxing night this time around. Either way, a wine or cocktail class at Astor Wine & Spirits is a perfect way to loosen up and learn a little something before dinner. The night before Valentine’s Day, they’re offering a Red Wine Class and a Hands-On Cocktail Workshop, so take your pick. There are plenty of great gastropubs in the East Village to end the night at, including one of our favorites, The...
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Perilla’s Farro Risotto
This neighborhood spot from Harold Dieterle, Top Chef Winner Season 1, has plenty in the way of whole grain options, from wheat berries served with Duck Breast, to a side of Quinoa Salad with Golden Beets or Creamy Polenta with the Pork Chop. But the best use of grains is the Farro Risotto, which breathes new life into traditional risotto. A firm grain similar to barley, the farro is cooked with creamy blend of artichoke confit and parmesan, and served with a chili-grape salad on top — perfect for...
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Yonah Schimmel Knishery
This Lower East Side knishery has been cooking whole grains for over one hundred years now. Just what is a knishery exactly? It’s a place that peddles Jewish knishes, big, pudgy dumplings filled with anything and everything, and often stuffed with kasha, which refers to a large family of grains eaten in Slavic Europe (make it plural and you get Kashi, thus the name of the eponymous cereal and snack bar purveyor). The Kasha Knishes at Yonah Schimmel are round, baked shells of dough filled with a savory mixture of kasha and chopped onion. It doesn’t matter if you lack Eastern European roots – these knishes are undeniably...
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Pates et Traditions’ Buckwheat Crepes
This charming Williamsburg creperie has over 24 savory crepe options, but what sets them apart from traditional, white-flour crepes is that they’re made with 100% organic buckwheat flour. That’s the way they make them in Breton, France, where they call them galettes. Ground from buckwheat seeds, they taste bold and slightly bitter, with a dark whisper of mushroom. We haven’t even gotten to fillings, like bacon, onions, eggplant, or potatoes. And with fall options like the Bergere Crepe with goat cheese, swiss, fig, honey, caramelized onions, and rosemary, we can pretty much guarantee you’ll find something to love. Perhaps Trois Fromages with potatoes, camembert, roquefort and goat, or the Sultan with chicken, bacon, cumin and cream. And there’s plenty of sweet buckwheat crepe offerings, so you can get your whole grains for dessert, too. Try the Bananas Flambe Crepe or Orange...
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ABC Kitchen’s Kasha & Bowties
Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s been singing the praises of obscure grains since the mid-90’s and now they’re not so obscure anymore. In fact, they’re collectively the “it” ingredient this fall. At ABC Kitchen, Vongerichten and his executive chef, Dan Kluger, deliver a cheeky spin on a Jewish dish called kasha varnishkes, with veal, oats and bowtie pasta. He swaps out veal for moist, mini veal meatballs delicious on their own and even better mingled with bowties and kasha grains. Want more grains? Sample one of their whole wheat...
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Thip Samai
If you love Pad Thai, Thip Samai is your Graceland. This is Shrimp Pad Thai the way it was meant to be eaten — incredibly light and flavorful with Thai’s signature hints of salty, sour, spicy, and sweet. It’s a gorgeous tangle of springy, yet soft noodles, mingled with achingly fresh shrimp, shrimp roe, sweet egg, sprouts, peanuts, scallions, and tossed with dried red chile peppers, fish sauce, palm sugar, and vinegar. Which is why it’s perpetually packed with young people, scarfing down plates of the stuff. But did you know that pad thai isn’t really pad thai at all? It’s true. The dish first came to Thailand by way of Vietnamese traders and it didn’t really become popular in Thailand until the 1930’s when the prime minister encouraged the production of rice noodles, even going so far...
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Louro
More people should be talking about Louro in the West Village. It opened in a space that was once home to Lowcountry, and before that Bar Blanc, which opened was ultimately a bust, too. But the past is the past and the space now looks less flashy. There are white-washed brick walls, cushy, curved banquettes along one wall and tables with burgundy leather seating along the other with mirrored paneling hanging overhead. Louro seems more like a neighborhood restaurant than the “hip, new place to eat,” but believe me, Louro is the place to eat right now. It’s not hip per se, but it is warm and cozy, and the staff’s passion for the restaurant is infectious. More importantly, the food is exciting. The chef, David Santos, worked at Bouley and Per Se before launching a secret and wildly popular supper club, called Um Segredo, out of his very own apartment...
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Or Tor Kor Market
Talk about a crash course in Thai cuisine. This lively Bangkok market is a veritable Disneyland for traditional Thai dishes and ingredients. Thai mangoes, coconuts, longan fruit, jackfruit, dragonfruit, durian and countless species of bananas, mangosteen (my favorite), lychee, custard apples, rambutan and oodles more! Ever tasted sapodilla fruit? I hadn’t either until I visited Bangkok, but I long for it daily now that I’m back in the states, so make the most of all the exotic fruits you’ll see and smell in Thailand. Reminiscent of a mango in shape with a light brown skin, sapodilla is divinely soft and fragrant with a flavor that evokes honey and caramel. And don’t listen to what people say about stinky durian. You may not care to eat it raw (it’s indeed stinky), but cooked and used to make a dessert...
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Krua Apsorn
There isn’t much in the way of fine dining in Bangkok, at least not where Thai people go to splurge or celebrate a special occasion. The fancier restaurants are for tourists or expats, most often found at hotels. But there is traditional and celebrated cooking, and one of the most celebrated is Krua Apsorn (there’s two ouptosts). Everyone who’s anyone seems to have eaten at Krua Apsorn, including the Thai Royal Family, who frequent the eatery often. Still, the decor is minimal, but clean and the waitstaff attentive. (And the bathroom is entirely usable!) We settled into a table next to the window, looking out over the bustling Bangkok streets, watching motor bikes and tuks-tuks whiz by while we reveled in an ice cold Singha served up in a frozen mug and air conditioning, which is hard to come...
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Raan Jay Fai
Don’t go to the bathroom at Jay Fai (that’s what the locals this joint), located in the Old City. Go to the bathroom before you leave your hotel or after dinner. (It’s too gross for words.) But definitely go to Jay Fai! It was by far my favorite meal in not just Bangkok, but all of Thailand. And I ate everywhere. I ate on the streets and fancy hotels, in formal restaurants and in dives. I’m still thinking about the incredible Crab Omelet (Kai-jeaw poo) I ate there. The egg itself was fluffy and sweet, subtly flavored with fish sauce, and studded with not strands or even shreds of crab, but huge hunks of sweet crabmeat. The perfect complement, as you quickly learn in Thailand, to any omelet is a sweet chile sauce that you’ll want to pour on just...
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Tortilleria Nixtamal’s Pozole
New York definitely isn’t lacking in the Mexican restaurant department. Every neighborhood has its own, from the small bodega-taquerias to the larger chains. And while all have their merits, not many are as authentic as Tortilleria Nixtamal. We can’t get enough of the fresh tamales and fish tacos at this Queens gem, but come fall, our go-to dish is the Pozole.
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Shopsin’s Chicken Tortilla Avocado Soup
The menu at Kenny Shopsin’s eponymous Shopsin’s has a seemingly endless number of options from which to choose (there’s over 900 options to be exact), with everything from French Toast Sandwiches to Deep Fried Pancake Quesadillas making an appearance. It can be a bit overwhelming to peruse the menu and settle on something to eat, so if you want some advice, go for the Chicken Tortilla Avocado Soup.
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La Bonne Soupe’s French Onion Soup
“La Bonne Soupe” means the good life, with wishes for wealth, health, and happiness. While the good people over at La Bonne Soupe might not be able to deliver on all of that at this little French bistro, their French Onion Soup comes close.
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Rosemary’s Minestra Di Stagione
This charming West Village trattoria was buzzing even before it opened its doors this past summer, and the excitement about this place hasn’t dissipated since. With a menu featuring a mix of classic and inventive Italian dishes, including Zucchini Crudo, Octopus Salami, and various homemade pastas, you’re guaranteed to find something delicious to fill you up. We love the Minestra Di Stagione.
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The Smith’s Cheddar Tomato Soup
The Smith is known for its bar snacks, especially the Potato Chips with Blue Cheese Fondu, and hearty comfort food, like the Crispy Fried Calamari and Chicken Pot Pie. But when there’s a chill in the air and we’re looking for a dish to warm us up, we usually opt for their Roasted Tomato Soup.
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Ippudo’s Spicy Pork Ramen
In Japan,Ippudo is a dime a dozen. But in New York, this Japanese brasserie is a rare gem. It boasts some of the most innovative ramen dishes in the city, with a dinner menu featuring six different types of ramen bowls with seven varieties of toppings. With lines out the door almost every night, it’s no surprise that their ramen is some of the best in all of Manhattan.
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