NYC Restaurant Week 2016

NYC Restaurant Week 2016 is upon us July 25th- August 19th. 3 course meals for lunch $29 and dinner $42. For the frugal yet fabulous..Exclusions do apply.. gratuity and beverages not included.

Saturdays are excluded and Sundays are optional You can check out all the participating restaurants here.

These are my picks. Foodies Rejoice..

Sabbia located In Eataly  (which I still have yet to visit)hosted by La Birreria rooftop bar and restaurant..Since it’s Summer you had me at rooftop bar. Stunning views of the Flat Iron and Empire State building await. Here you can check out the lunch and dinner menu. I like to look ahead of time to be sure that there are things that I like.

 

200 Fifth Ave.
Manhattan, NY 10010
Flatiron District

Spice Market  located in the Meat Packing District.I have yet to dine at this pretty lil eatery with an attached terrace. I’m hoping that changes soon. Lunch and Dinner menu here.

403 W. 13th St.
Manhattan, NY 10014
Meatpacking District

Bodega Negra at  Dream Hotel downtown.. You enter this location thru a Tudor Styled Tequila Wearhouse! No menu listed however they serve upscale Mexican fare (expect ceviches and Tacos).

 

Also Participating in Restaurant Week are a few of my  go to spots…

Scarpetta I read in a magazine over five years ago that Beyonce and Jay Z dined here for the Spaghetti..Start it off with the Creamy Polenta in a mushroom truffle sauce. I have been in love with Scott Conant’s tasty dishes ever since!

That F*in Spaghetti Tho!

355 W. 14th St.
Manhattan, NY 10014
Meatpacking District

Lupa (lunch only) I hope they have Bucatini All Amatriciana on the menu.. That’s my fav .. Thank You Mario Batali !

170 Thompson St.
Manhattan, NY 10012
Greenwich Village

Beauty and Essex is always a good time… hang out in the ladies room where they serve champagne. Or grab one of my fav drinks the beauty elixir.

146 Essex St.
Manhattan, NY 10002
Lower East Side

 

 

 

Summer2016 BucketList

A Milkshake from BlackTap NYC: While cruising the explore page on Instagram  (the gram). I came across this page that featured the most mouthwatering milkshakes in the meat packing district.

 🍦🍦Drake concert cuz Drake is Bae …😍😍😍 summer2016 tour with Future  👯👯

Pinknic..A pink and white mandatory clothing picnic in Governors Island. Pink Blankets along with live music, a Ferris wheel and ros’e 🍷🎀 You can order a picnic basket made by Chris Santos chef/owner of Vandal NY or bring your own !
Local Outdoor dining  … I love dining outside ..I never really got to do it too often since my ex wasn’t a fan of it.. However, this summer I will be all about it.  A few of the locations are Tarry Lodge in Portchester ( Mario Batali’s place) Fortina’s Pizza Club in Stamford, CT, and  Red Hat on the River in Irvington. 

Holiday Drinks

Coquito: This recipe is without eggs..because I’m really not crazy about the idea of raw eggs in My Coquito.

Ingredients:

1 cup White Bacardi Rum or Coconut Rum

1-2 cans of Coconut Milk

1 can Condensed Milk

1 can Evaporated Milk

Pure Vanilla Extract

a few dashes of Nutmeg

a few dashes of Cinnamon

Ice

BLEND INGREDIENTS and VOILA Coquito

Winter Sangria

Ingredients:

Pour in a Pitcher

1 bottle of Pinot Noir

2 shots of Hennessy or Grand Marnier

2 shots of OJ,

1 tablespoon of agave nectar

a few mint leaves

1 sliced apple in cubes

1 pomegranate

1/2 cup raspberries

Ice

and BAM Winter Sangria

Winter Sangria in My Copper Cup

A few of my fav cocktails👯👯

Who likes to drink?! 🙋🙋Everyone knows I love my cocktails! I typically drink wine, but on a nice Summer night it’s always nice to have a cocktail.. or two.(But, who’s counting?)I also have a new found love for St Germain liquor. So I figured I would share some cocktail recipes with you. Yes, I’m trying to get fancy like Tom Cruise in the movie Cocktails.

Cucumber Deliciousness

Ingredients:

1 ounce of St Germain Liquor

11/2 ounce of Vodka (I use Absolut)

6 Cucumber slices

5 Mint Leaves

ice

Muddle 5 Cucumber slices in shaker

Add liquor, ice, and 4mint leaves

Shake Vigorously

Pour into pretty glass

Add slice of cucumber and a mint leave to garnish

Or Dat Watermelon

Ingredients:

1/2 ounce of St Germain Liquor

2 ounce of Vodka

1 cup watermelon juice or muddled watermelon

4 mint leaves

ice

Add Watermelon, Liquor, ice, and 3 mint leaves to shaker

Shake Vigorously

Pour into pretty glass

Garnish with a cubed watermelon and mint leave

Also if you want to infuse some Vodka.. it’s super easy

Slice up  fruit (Pineapple, watermelon, my fav)

Fill up Mason Jar with fruit(or any glass container)

Cover the Fruit with Vodka

You can also add mint leaves.

Let sit for 5-7 days and shake daily

Voila infused vodka

Sugar Factory-NYC

I really enjoyed dining at Sugar Factory!! Reservations on OpenTable were booked up for weeks so I settled on a Thursday evening reservation. It is located on Gansevoort ave in NYC(Meatpacking District). We found parking easily on the street. When you first walk in, there is a little candy shop. The restaurant is very small and tight! So be prepared to be pretty close to the people dining next to you. Other than that service was great and food was delicious! I ordered the lollipop passion goblet, their signature drink! They stick lollipops in it along with dry ice to give it that cool smoky effect. (They even give you a lil plastic bag to take your lollipops to go)The drink was pretty sweet but there is plenty of alcohol in it. (It sneaks up on you.. Proceed with caution)We ordered Mac and cheese pops for appetizer that came with a tomato soupish dipping sauce. It was very good! For entree I ordered the NY Strip (cooked perfectly medium-well) topped with mushroom gravy served with creamy Yukon mashed potatoes. Then my hubby got the signature burger that came with the most delicious french fries! Food was much better than I expected. We did not order dessert because we were stuffed! However, there were tons of birthdays going on with gorgeous looking desserts and sparklers stuck in them! It’s safe to say I will be returning for my birthday this summer.