restaurantgirl

This year, we give thanks to all of the NYC restaurants who keep their doors open on Thanksgiving, and keep our kitchens free of mayhem and mess.  No more must we wait on daunting lines at Whole Foods or slave away all day roasting turkeys.  This year, you may want to opt out of an at-home dinner and dine out on Thanksgiving.   

Our top picks:

Prune
(212)-677-6221
54 E 1st St.btwn 1st & 2nd Ave
Stop in this East Village gem for a New American Thanksgiving dinner. Gabrielle Hamilton whimsically substitutes braised capons for turkey and sides avail a combination of both the classic and unusual: stewed chestnuts with ricotta and sea salt, as well as butternut squash with pear and candied bacon.

Chubo
(212) 674-6300
6 Clinton Street
This tiny yet worldly restaurant offers a four-course prix-fixe dinner with an edge. To begin, there is Japanese consommé with chicken-escargots ravioli and a pumpkinseed oil fall finish. For the main course, “Turkey Two Ways” with cornbread oyster stuffing, grape-cranberry sauce, and miso-glazed brussel sprouts. A hot mango pancake with with ginger ice cream caps off an alternative Thanksgiving.

Tocqueville
(212) 647-1515
1 East 15^th Street
Embrace in traditional flavors for $75 at this Union Square favorite.  Tempt with a puree of kabocha squash with duck sausage.  For a main course, pork tenderloin and cider-braised ham with port-roasted apples and a Greenmarket carrot stew stands up to traditional turkey. For dessert, wash down a bite of chocolate walnut steamed pudding with a hot spiced apple toddy. It’s a gluttonous affair, fitting to the occasion.

Les Halles
(212)-679-4111
411 Park Ave S., btwn 28th & 29th St
This popular French-American brasserie hosts a Thanksgiving that doesn’t particularly scream tradaitional. Think a foie gras terrine with bread and chicken liver mousse or a chestnut-stuffed boneless turkey roulade. For dessert, a warm sticky pecan pie...

It's summer.  Perhaps time to mix things up, maybe switch out that vodka martini for a minty mojito or opt for lillet over rose.  There's plenty of summery elixirs to be had in New York and with the onslaught of serious cocktail chefs around every corner, you're bound to stumble upon a fresh-squeezed concoction.  You just have to know where to hunt the best down, so here's a list of the latest & greatest summer cocktails around town...

Little Branch - Ease into a booth at this moody subterranean lounge with a Queens Park Swizzle - a mojito riff punched up with a bit of bitters - and let yourself be lulled by live jazz Sundays through Wednesdays.
Address: 20 Seventh Ave., at Leroy St.
Phone:212.929.4360 

A60 - Tragically reserved for the New York elite, befriend a gifted key holder or 60 Thompson Hotel guest to access this posh rooftop.  Jean-Marc of Kittichai owns the spectacular city view, so sink into a couch and revel in the outdoor victory over a citrusy Thom martini and chicken satay.
Address: 60 Thompson St., nr. Broome
Phone: 212.925.2971

Monkey Bar - Having just reopened with a new menu, the work of chef Patricia Yeo, the already buzzing front bar with monkey-clad wallpaper deals in a silky pear & cucumber cooler muddled with fresh mint. 
Phone: 60 E. 54th St., near Park Ave.
Address: 212.838.2600

Public - Scared of commitment?  Linger in one of two industrial chic lounges at this Nolita's Australasian.  If you can get past the "cosmopolitan" stigma, tempt the clear ginger cosmpolitan: a gentle blend of ginger-infused vodka, orange liqueur, cranberry & lime juice. 
Address: 210 Elizabeth St., btwn. Prince & Spring Sts.
Phone: 212.343.7011

The Little Owl - At the risk of overexposure, this charming West Villager flaunts yet another gem: Le Petit Hiboux.  In translation, this elegant elixir is the perfect mix of Pinot Blanc, apple juice and Lillet Blanc.  After all, it is the summer of Lillet.   Address: 90 Bedford St., at Grove St.
Phone: 212.741.4695

Aquavit - Marcus Samuelsson's reinvented Scandinavian midtowner not only tenders a herring sampler, but also an impressive menu of housemade aquavits.  Enjoy an Elderwhite, a blend of white cranberry-infused aquavit, elderflower liquer & white cranberry juice, in the stylish cafe.
Address: 65 E. 55th St., near Madison Ave.
Phone: 212.307.7311

P*ONG - While dubbed a Thai dessert bar, Pichet Ong dabbles in both the sweet and savory side of things.  This ultramodern West Village nook also boasts a refreshing rhubarb caipirinha.
Address: 150 W. 10th St., at Waverly
Phone: 212.929.0898

Flatiron Lounge -  Gramercy's moody cocktail lounge takes the tried-and-true classics quite seriously.  The woman behind the inspired menu - Julie Reiner - an innovator who elevates the martini to new heights with her handsome martini flight and imagines a new menu for every season.  While still fashioning their summer cocktail list, catch the last sip of spring with a lychee lemongrass fizz. 
Address: 37 W. 19th, btwn. 5th & 6th Aves.
Phone: 212. 727.7741

Stand
Bond Street's Jonathan Morr throws his hat into the burger ring with Stand.  Situated in Greenwich Village, this modernized, black & white-decked burger joint offers retro cocktails, all designed by Ray Pirkle, to chase down their hand-crafted burgers.  Get nostalgic over a chocolate egg cream or summer in the city with the DrinkStand - fresh-squeezed lemonade mixed with Hendrick's gin, basil and seltzer water.
Address: 24 E. 12th St., btwn. 5th Ave. & University Place
Phone: 212.488.5900 

Until we eat again,
Restaurant Girl
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Cake Man Raven
708-A Fulton Street
Brooklyn NY 11217
718-797-2598
718-694-CAKE (to pre-order cakes)

I have accidentally stumbled upon the perfect slice, (no, not Di Fara's pizza).  Behold, Cake Man Raven's sublime red velvet cake; a cake so decadently divine, it literally keeps me up at night.  I suggest you get yourself to Fort Greene immediately for the slice of a lifetime.  At the risk of playing the role of the playground drug dealer, this is one addiction I encourage you to  indulge in, calories be damned.   

Deep in Fort Greene, a line of people slowly file into a modestly marked shop, slip the counter girl a five, then skip out with a slice as if you're about to engage in some sort of illicit activity.  Parodixically located in Park Slope, Harlem Baking Company sells giant fluffy slices of red velvet cakes.  Yes, it's a cake most definitely worth changing trains for, a cake that makes Magnolia cupcakes practically obsolete.  If my endorsement's not enough to get you out the door, Cake Man Raven boasts Jay-Z, Janet Jackson and Regis Philbin as fans (to name just a few).  But let's get down to business....

So light and fluffy yet defiantly moist at the same time, this buttery piece of heaven defies all logic, and perhaps should be eaten with a spoon.  Cocoa-inflected layers of defiantly moist and rich buttermilk layers (dyed bright red), are blanketed with a cloying and yet, faintly sour cream cheese icing layer.  The icing on this cake is not the cream cheese alone, but the walnut crumble that pleasingly dots the top layer, adding a perfect crunch to an otherwise velvety slice of heaven. 

And they don't just stop at red velvet, though they could stand on the merit of this slice alone.  If red velvet's not your game, Cake Man Raven doles out old school baked goods: a mean coconut, carrot, chocolate cake, pineapple upside down, and 7 UP pound cake (lemon pound cake spiked with 7 UP), all $5.00 a slice, curiously served in deli-style plastic containers.  If you can't get your fix from one lofty slice, Cake Man Raven also supplies whole cakes and even sheets.  Let the gorging begin.

Pre-ordered cakes: (the 1/2 sheet's a worthy investment)
8-inch      $35
10-inch    $45
12-inch    $75
1/2 sheet $95

 

Until we eat again,
Restaurant Girl

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Just a city girl, hungry for more.  Fond food memories:

1) FINAL WORD: THE CRACK OF CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Fresh from the oven -- Sapa's rich and gooey chocolate chip cookies are delivered on a gi-normous cookie sheet right to your table, courtesy of the chef (How cool is that?!;)

P.S. Ask for a couple to go.  They're just as moist and yummy in the morning!

Sapa 43 West 24th, bet. 6th & Broadway, (212)929-1800

2) SAMMY'S MOCHACCINO

An anonymous source (a mochaccino addict who refused to be identified) has broken down and revealed the source of his gold mine of a find -- Bottega Del Vino.  "Ask for Sammy.  He'll take care of you," my source utters in hushed tones, then wanders off to feed his mocha fix.  My sources were right: A heavenly cloud of luscious foam floats above a "secret" blend of chocolate, (melted to order by Sammy himself!) and ultra rich cappuccino.  Starbuck's who?

  Bottega Del Vino, 7 East 59th Street, btwn. 5th & Madison Aves, (212)223-3028.

3) SCALLOPS IN TRANSLATION

Under recent criticism by The New York Times, Time Out and New York Magazine, newcomer Ureña is taking a lot of heat for its painfully fluorescent lighting, atmosphere-less digs, and overly fluffy food (rightfully so).  Though I wouldn't recommend making a special trip, I did manage to find a diamond in the rough:                      
Scallops with caviar atop a dreamy cloud of parsnip puree dressed in chorizo sauce.

37 E. 28th St., nr. Park Ave. S.; 212-213-2328

Until we eat again,
Danyelle