Tuesday - June 1, 2010

Corrado Bakeries

212.774.1904

They are located all over New York

Check out the Menu!

Before going to sleep on our last night in New York, I realized that I would want to pick up a quick breakfast before heading to the airport. I remembered that there was a great little bakery near the apartment and decided I would stop there in the morning to grab some food because as we all know, airport food is not only over priced but it is atrocious. So sure enough I got my butt out of bed extra early (which I would only do to satisfy my belly) and walked down to Corrado Bakery. I got an almond croissant, a ham and cheese croissant, and two fresh squeezed orange juices. The almond croissant was oddly disappointing, since I love their almond macaroon cookie (soooooo good). It didn’t have enough almond paste in the middle in my opinion so the almond flavor was lacking. The ham and cheese croissant was much better—I ended up eating it instead of my boyfriend. However, the best thing I have had from this bakery is the portobello and goat cheese sandwich, which sounds so simple but the foccacia bread that it is served on has a wonderful rosemary flavor and it is so much more flavorful than you would expect. If you like goat cheese as much as I do, then you have to try this sandwich. Also, the freshly squeezed orange juice is awesome…it just comes in the littlest cup so you have a couple of sips and it is sadly gone.

Monday - May 31, 2010

MXco

212.249.6080

1491 2nd Ave, New York 10075

(Corner of 78th St)

Check out the Menu!

It’s our last night in New York and after packing up the bags my boyfriend, Roberto, and I set out to find a late-night dinner spot. With no place in mind, we went walking around by his apartment basically looking for any place that was still serving dinner at the late hour of 11:30. We walked into one restaurant called Pil Pil (a Spanish tapas and wine bar) but it was so dark inside that we couldn’t read the menu. After using my blackberry as a flashlight, I discovered that I still couldn’t read the menu because well, it was in Spanish…with no translations! Although my boyfriend speaks Spanish, I wasn’t in the mood to hear him translate the entire menu and so the search continued. Next we found ourselves at a little Italian joint called Vero. Although they were running a great special—free Panini’s with the purchase of any drink (booze)—we were more in the mood for a real meal rather than a slice of bread to absorb our alcohol. The search finally ended when we sighted a couple munching on chips and salsa outside of a little place called Mxco. We decided to eat there since, as Roberto said, “you can never really go wrong with Mexican food!”

We ordered the Chicken Nachos to start and found ourselves pleasantly surprised by the combination of flavors. They used Chihuahua cheese (also sometimes called queso menonita) that was super rich and creamy, which kept all the nachos together nicely without making them soggy (soggy nachos are my pet peeve!). The nachos were topped with pico de gallo, a generous scoop of guacamole, and a drizzling of sour cream. But my favorite part of the nachos was the herb-pickled jalapeños, which had a really unique flavor when tasted on their own and added a great spicy kick to the dish overall (spice haters you’ve been warned). For our entree we decided to order two different types of tacos and share…we weren’t terribly hungry since our stomachs were still digesting our 5 O’clock breakfast. Each order came with two soft-shelled tacos so sharing was easy. First we had a Chorizo Taco, which had chipotle potatoes, salsa ranchera, queso blanco, and black beans. This one was undoubtedly our favorite of the two, and the flavors closely resembled those of Indian cuisine, almost like a samosa. It was unusual and unexpected but none-the-less delicious. Then we started on our Short Rib Tacos, which were simply prepared with pico de gallo and a tamarind-pasilla sauce. The meat was really tender and good, but not as interesting as the flavors of the chorizo taco. I must warn you though that the tacos were not, I repeat NOT, entrée-sized portions. They were more like tapas…I’m talking three bites and it’s gone!! Thankfully the nachos were rich and of a decent size so we left the restaurant satisfied, but we both agreed that the tacos, which ranged from $8-$10, were over priced for such a small amount of food.

As for the service at the restaurant...well it wasn’t that great. But I must remind you that we were seated at like 11:45 and they stopped serving at 12, and having been a waitress myself, I can understand that they were focused on closing the place. We did end up having to go inside to pay our check though because the waitress was MIA….annoying L

Overall, I would go back but only when I’m looking to have a light meal. I normally associate Mexican food with a full feeling afterwards thanks to Chipotle, which I love—I know it’s a chain, but I do love it—and Mxco did not have the portions to satisfy a hungry belly with just one entrée. However, the unique flavors were refreshing and all the ingredients were of high quality. I can only hope the service is better when they aren’t focused on closing at the end of the night.

Monday - May 31, 2010

The Coffee Shop



212.243.7969

29 Union Sq. West, New York 10003

(At 16th)

Check out the Menu!

This morning my boyfriend and I were supposed to go and see the Statue of Liberty, which he got tickets for as part of my birthday gift (note that I said supposed to). I have been wanting to go for a while and we thought it would be extra special since it was Memorial day and all. Well the tickets were for 12 O’clock in the afternoon, which is not early for the average person I suppose, but as we watched the sunrise that morning after my birthday celebration (in our going out clothes from the night before still drinking wine) we realized that waking up at 12 O’clock was just never going to happen…And it didn’t. It wasn’t until 5 O’clock in the evening that we finally found ourselves waking up and leaving the apartment to go grab our first meal. We headed to Union Square where we were meeting up with his brother again, and we decided to eat at a place called The Coffee Shop.

I had very low expectations for the food since the name of the place indicated that was more of a beverage spot, but I was very pleasantly surprised to enjoy a great meal. The place is decorated like a diner inside and there is some great outdoor sidewalk seating as well (so great that we couldn’t get a table!). My boyfriend was telling me that it is rumored that the waitresses are supposed to all be models or something…granted that many of them are anorexically thin, we did not think this rumor remains true there today, maybe just something of the past.

I ordered the Chicken Paillard, which was seasoned perfectly and enormous…I kid you not, it covered my entire plate (of course that didn’t stop me from finishing it all though!). It was topped with a very nice arugala salad with cherry tomatoes, tossed in a light red wine vinaigrette. My boyfriend had the Chicken Fajitas, which was also a huge portion and really good (a little oily though).

The food is pretty good here, nothing memorable or unique, but still good. You can tell from the menu that the place is definitely Brazilian because they serve Ropa Vieja, Tamales, Fajitas Rio Style, and Sopa De Piexe Bahia…so I would order that route. Ohh and the coffee is delicious!! I had one of the best cappuccinos ever after my lunch…now that was memorable! This place gets four stars because the food is so unassumingly delicious and the coffee is divine.