(Dining Out} Favorite restaurants on the UWS

Liver, Eggplant rolls, Quattro pizza, and Halibut at Celeste

We've finally moved! It's been awhile since our last post due to all of the apartment hunting, packing, storing, moving, and unpacking but we're finally done! But before leaving my beloved UWS (home for the past 7 years), we ventured to all of our favorite neighborhood spots for one last meal.

Though Per Se, Dovetail, and Telepan were all elegant, fantastic meals, when it comes to "last meals", we delved into comfort foods (and consequently, much more affordable restaurants).  Our first dinner spot was Celeste, a perennial favorite. This cozy little cash-only Italian is the place I would take out-of-town guests staying with us, fatigued from their flights but eager to dine out in NYC, for one of their first meals.  The menu doesn't change a whole lot, but the prices are good and the food has always been satisfying. 

My favorite dessert at Celeste: Limoncello Tartufo

Our dishes of choice at Celeste? As seen from the photos above, we love the:

• Involtini Di Melanzane ($8.50): Eggplant rolls stuffed with prosciutto and pecorino cheese baked with tomato sauce
• Fegatini Di Pollo ($7): Sauteed chicken livers deglazed with balsamic vinegar on toasted bread
• Quattro Stagioni ($12): Prosciutto, mushrooms, tomato, artichokes, and mozzarella pizza
• Ippoglosso Al Limone ($15): Halibut sauteed with lemon and capers sauteed spinach & roasted potatoes
• Tartufo al Limoncello ($6): Lemon gelato surrounding a creamy, limoncello center  

And yes, we took home all of the leftovers to enjoy while continuing to pack!

Shack Burger and Shack-cago Dog with Fries

No UWS neighborhood restaurant compilation would be complete without our favorite burger joint Shake Shack. We've eaten almost everything on the menu and really, you can't go wrong with a Shack Burger with everything, Shack-cago Dog, Shroom Burger, or all out with the Shack Stack. My favorite tip though has to be:

• Go to the C-line (it's for beverages and dessert orders only, so it's quicker and shorter than the regular line) and ask for Yesterday's Pint. For $4, you can take home (or indulge at the restaurant) a pint of the previous day's Frozen Custard flavor. Since a small cup of today's flavor will run you $3.50, the pint is such a great deal!

Kale salad, Mushroom Panini, Dumplings, Egg-and-dairy-free Chocolate Chip Cookie

When I want a reprieve from greasy, meaty foods, I head to Peacefood Cafe, a nearby vegan spot. It's less expensive than Cafe Blossom (another tasty vegan place) and the food's pretty good (i.e. carnivore Jeff's willing to dine with me here).  What were our picks?

• Kale Salad ($13.50): kale leaves, diced seasoned tofu, tempeh bacon, pumpkin seeds and raisins tossed with dressing
• Pan-seared French horn mushroom Panini ($11.95): with sun-dried tomatoes, arugula, artichoke aioli, mint & basil pesto
• Pan-seared Shanghai-style dumplings ($7.95):  homemade dumplings filled with chinese chives,
  shitake & wood ear mushrooms, marinated tofu and vegetarian protein, served with a ginger balsamic
  dipping sauce. Granted, these weren't the best dumplings we've ever had and the wrapper was a tad too thick for our taste, but for a vegan variation, the filling was very hearty and filled with umami
• Chickpea fries ($7.95): Though we were too full for these fries, I've had them before and definitely recommend them. With a hint of indian spices, they're served with a house dipping sauce.
• Chocolate Chip cookie ($1.35 ea): All desserts are baked in their kitchen without dairy, egg, or refined sugar. Though they have a gluten-free version, we went with the cookies made with spelt flour. It's the perfect sweet ending to our refreshing meal.

Peruvian-Chinese food. Before I moved to NYC, I never knew this cuisine existed. It makes sense though considering there is a Chinese population in Latin America. And it makes for a delicious combination. And when it comes to good value and satisfying meals, Flor de Mayo is the casual spot we've taken our visiting families.

• Dish of choice: Peruvian roast chicken or Pollo a la Brasa ($11.75) with Cilantro rice substituted as the side. It's juicy and full of flavor. This dish is more than enough for 2-3 people to share - which makes it a great deal at under $12.

Brunch and Barney Greengrass

One of the benefits of moving is that you finally make time to check out the nearby places you've always meant to try but never did. Though I had been to historic Barney Greengrass before, Jeff strangely had not.  If you know my husband's traditional tastes - Russ & Daughters being one of his favorite spots - you know that he enjoys classic, old-school dishes. What did we enjoy for a very savory brunch at Barney Greengrass?

• Combination of Sturgeon and Nova Scotia Salmon Scrambled with Eggs & Onions ($19.75) with a Bialy (a cross between a bagel and an English muffin)
• Sturgeon on Rye ($19.25) with capers (though you will be charged for any extras on the fish)
• Herring Salad and Whitefish Salad to go - both were stellar. Jeff even thought that the whitefish salad was on par with his favorite version from Russ & Daughters

Kefi salad, Sheep's milk dumplings, Meatballs

From its prior tiny 79th street location through to its move to Columbus Ave, Greek restaurant Kefi has been a part of our UWS experience ever since I first moved to the neighborhood from Toronto 7 years ago. Though the menu has changed (both the moussaka and the original sweetbread recipe has sadly been removed from the new menu), there are still a few favorites left that we keep ordering over and over again;

• Kefi Salad ($6.75): Shredded Lettuce & Fennel, Tomato, Cucumber, Olives, Peppers, Onions, Feta. Despite replicating a similar tasty salad at home, I will still order this bright, crisp, refreshing salad whenever we return.
• Sheep Milk Ravioli ($9.95): with Brown Butter and Sage
• Meatballs ($6.95): with Roasted Garlic, Olives, and Tomato
• Grilled Octopus with White Bean Salad ($9.95): We both prefer the meatiness of grilled octopus over fried calamari any day
• For pasta dishes, we've previously also enjoyed the Flat Pasta with Pulled Braised Rabbit and Graviera Cheese ($12.95) as well as the Shrimp Orzo ($14.95) with  Spinach, Tomato, Feta
• Our friends always seem to opt for the Chicken Souvlaki ($12.50) with Tzatziki and Pita Bread which comes with a small Kefi salad and house-made chips.

The last place we should mention is Jeff's neighborhood bar - George Keeley's. With great craft beers always on tap, friendly staff, free popcorn, and a darn-good Frikadelle burger (that I love having with an added runny egg on top), I think this spot is the one Jeff will miss the most!

We love the Upper West Side and with friends still living in the area, will likely return to visit our old favorite neighborhood spots. We're eager to check out what downtown Manhattan has to offer, so please leave us any recommendations in the comments below!

{Dining Out} Ditch Plains UWS

Since we've been hosting my friend Christine's Virtual Baby Shower all week with lots of great giveaways (click here and here to enter!), I've had family-friendly foodie places on my mind. A few Sundays ago, I organized a get-together with friends (who all have kids under the age of 2) at the recently-opened Ditch Plains on the UWS (in the space vacated by Bar Bao).  The large 5000 sq ft space holds a bar/lounge area, communal tables, comfortable booths, and one open private room.  The latter was perfect to fit our group of 4 couples, 3 toddlers/newborns, 3 strollers, and 2 highchairs with plenty of room to spare.  Like Marc Murphy's other restaurant, Landmarc, Ditch Plains offers a comfortable venue with value-priced wines and beers ($4 draft beers after 4pm on Sunday).

Ditch Plains is known for their hot dogs (and we've enjoyed both the Mac n' Cheese dogs and Chili dogs before), but on Sundays, Ditch Plains offers a Lobster Pot dinner ($30).  The small cast iron pot includes one whole lobster, corn on the cob, potatoes, and sausage.  Each family ordered their own crustacean and it was fun to see the kids look and "pet" the lobster as well as each family try to break apart the lobster in their own way.

Because the Lobster Pot wasn't enough for 2 adults, each family ordered another entree.  While our friends ordered Mussels and the Shrimp Gumbo, we chose the Grilled Fish of the Day ($20).  We asked for our Arctic Char to be on the rarer side and it came out perfectly cooked to our liking.  As fans of salmon and trout, we like ordering the similar tasting (though milder) Arctic Char.

While others ordered sides of rice/beans and grilled zucchini, we went with our server's suggestion and opted for a Side of Fried Jalapenos ($5).  They were spicy and dangerously addictive.

After all of that food, we were all stuffed - and then we heard the dessert menu and had to try everything:

S'mores ($4):  Though we can easily make these at home (we quickly microwave our s'mores, but these ones looked like they were finished off in the oven), we still couldn't turn down a plate of warm and gooey s'mores.  These are an easy crowd-pleaser.

Ditch'Wich ($4): We shared the ice cream sandwiches (they came in vanilla and chocolate flavors).  Both were pretty good, though not out of the ordinary.

Though we were excited about the Fried Mini Candy Bars ($4), we found that they were overall a bit too doughy. 

After drinks, shared appetizers (including oysters), taxes, and tips, the bill came out to about $100/family.  Overall, our group thought that Ditch Plains was a good value meal, with lots of options, and an excellent venue for young children.  Our private room also came with a TV (the booths also have individual TV's), that the parents thought could be useful to entertain the kids (especially if it could be hooked up to an iPad to show videos).

What are your family-friendly restaurant picks in NYC?

Ditch Plains is located at 100 W 82nd St (at Columbus Ave) in NYC.

{Sweet Treats} Macaron Day NYC 2012

Dominique Ansel Bakery's PB&J and Raspberry Balsamic macarons (left) were slightly larger than Epicerie Boulud's rich and tasty macarons.

Happy 1st Day of Spring everyone! What better way to ring in the warm weather than with complimentary macarons? Today was Macaron Day in NYC and unlike in previous years (2010, 2011), it was held on a weekday.  Since we both had to work, my macaron hunt was short but sweet.

Before work, I checked out Epicerie Boulud and received an intensely-flavored dark chocolate macaron. Since this was my first time at Daniel Boulud's bakery, I also bought a box of 4 macarons ($9.50) to try the other flavors: lemon, raspberry, and pistachio. My favorite mac of the day was Boulud's nutty pistachio macaron. The lemon one was vibrant too and the raspberry mac tasted like jam.

Since there weren't any participating bakeries near my office, Jeff kindly ventured to a couple places downtown for me.  Dominique Ansel Bakery was another new-to-us bakery. There were a few other people coming in asking for a macaron along with the usual breakfast crowd.

Jeff picked up a complimentary PB&J macaron from Dominique Ansel Bakery's selection and bought a Raspberry Balsamic macaron ($2.50) to go. He really liked the different flavor profiles offered there. His favorite macarons of the day were Boulud's dark chocolate mac and these two macarons from Dominique Ansel Bakery.

After two years of offering hazelnut macarons (seen here and here), this year La Maison du Chocolat offered a Lemon Macaron.  Jeff thought it was light in flavor but sweet and, unlike some previous purchases from the Wall St location, was not cracked or falling apart.

Though I didn't get to visit many bakeries this year for Macaron Day, I'm glad we were able to try a couple new places. And hearing about Dominique Ansel Bakery's other French pastries makes me eager to visit soon.