East Side Social Club

As per our usual weekly ritual, my friend, the Swede and I, usually text each other around 5 to see if the other is available for drinks and some food. Since she has an adorable 5 year old, we usually just drink wine and order in food at her apartment. But, this week, her amazing sister was watching the young blond so we were able to try out someplace new. I had read about East Side Social Club and wanted to give it a try.

Opened by Macao and Employees Only owner Billy Gilroy it is truely a family affair-his brother Jim is another owner, son Devon is the chef, and daughter Grace the GM. It seems investor Patrick McMullan is the odd man out. The space is large - upfront is  a mobbed bar to the right and dining area to the left while there is a whole other dining space in the back. The atmosphere is clubby, with dark wook and burgundy accents. The crowd a mix of after work suits, b&t, and regular foodie, like me. We were walk-ins, so we put our names on the list and headed over to the bar where we were lucky enough to snag some seats.

Since we were starving, we decided not to wait and just order ASAP! I had eyed another customer enjoying Gnocchi Bolognese, but to my dismay the bartender informed us that if the bar gets too crowded, the chef refuses to serve pasta at the bar. I explained that Gnocchi isn't pasta, but my argument fell on deaf ears. But, the saving grace was that all the food was amazing!

Brunch at A Voce, Columbus Circle

Colleen and I had a lot to catch up on, so we wanted a brunch place where we could linger over some food and drinks. We settled on A Voce, Columbus Circle, Chef Missy Robbins sublime Italian restaurant.  The room is large and bright, with one wall consisting of windows that provides a view of Central Park.

The first big decision was brunch or lunch, which would determine our beverage selection- bellini's or wine. After perusing the menu, we decided to order a bunch of lunch plates to share. Once our waitress took our order (wine included) we were brought over a tray of warm foccaccio with a small bowl of creamy ricotta that was topped with a pool of fruity olive oil. This was the perfect nibble to accompany my earthy Tuscan Sangiovese.

Jimmy's No. 43

I kept reading about Jimmy's No. 43, so on New Year's day I schlepped my champagne soaked self to check out the gastropub. It was only 9, so it was pretty empty. My cousin and I sat in the back at a high-top and ordered up some hair of the dog. I opted for a glass of Malbec, but beer is the thing to order at Jimmy's. They have an extensive list of beers, both tap and bottled. My cuz started with a wheat beer, which she loved.

We were starved, and the slow service was a bit of a bummer. I think it stems from the fact that it's more about the drink, even though the eats from the small menu are stellar. We started out with pan fried shisho peppers with lemon and salt, which had many different levels of spicy it was like playing russian roulette!

Giano's- Serving Up New and Traditional Italian in the EV

I'm not sure if it's the cold weather or all the family gatherings that have me craving Italian food, but it'a all I want to eat all the time. Luckily, I had been reading a lot about Giano's and when I was asked to choose a place for a bunch of us to eat on Saturday, I figured it was time to give it a try. Originally the reservation was for 4, but with an extra person joining last minute I needed to call to change to accommodate us all. After the owner let me know no 5 tops were available when I said we could just squeeze at a 4 top, he was happy that we could make it work.

We arrived at 9 and the place was packed, but luckily we didn't have to wait and were seated right away. The room is a hybrid wine bar/restaurant, with high rectangular tables up front where you can grab a glass of wine and a bite to eat and regular tables right behind (there is also a garden, but being winter I wasn't able to see it.) Our waitress was awesome! Not only was she on the money with all her recommendations, but she was extremely patient as we all tried different tastes of wine before deciding on a Chilean Carmenere. Typically I would have ordered Italian wine, but I tried their Nebbiolo and Barbera d'Alba and was not impressed.

Dim Sum at Oriental Garden

As most already know, one of the best antidotes to too much drinking on Saturday, is to head down to Chinatown for some belly filling, alcohol sopping dim sum. I had heard about Oriental Garden, so me and my cuz decided to give it a try. It's small compared to many of the football sized competitors, but what it lacks in glitter, it more than makes up for with fresh, crave worthy dumplings, buns and other assorted goodies. There are few carts, with most of the dim sum being passed around on trays by servers and if you don't see what you want, just ask and they are more than happy to bring it out steaming hot from the kitchen. The dumplings were amazingly fresh- pan fried veggie, shrimp and pork, shrimp and veggie were all encompassed in a thin layer of dough. The fried turnip cake, steamed pork buns and pork pastie were up all stunners. I've read elsewhere that their fish is where they shine, so next time I go, maybe I'll make it for dinner, instead of my antidote to a too fun evening!

Oriental Garden
14 Elizabeth St. b/t Canal & Bayard
(212) 619-0085‎
Prices: Dim Sum $3-8, all other food not sure!

Locande Verde

I went to Locanda Verde last night with the ladies to celebrate Alice's birthday. I had been before, but was looking forward to trying more of Andrew Carmellini's delightful Italian cuisine. The room is quite large, but they have done a great job at partitioning it so it feels like a few smaller rooms. Dark wood and low lights add to the comfortable surroundings, and the attentive, but not overbearing staff makes for an enjoyable and relaxing evening.

Before I begin, I must say that although the food was spectacular, it was overshadowed by the fact that midway during our dinner, Ed Norton and Danny DeVito were seated next to our table. And, since not only one, but two at our table have a bit of a crush on EN, it was the highlight of the evening!

Enough on that, now to the food. The menu is divided into 4 sections, Cicchetti, Antipasti, Pasta and Secondi. To start, I had to have the Lamb Sliders, one of the Chefs signature dishes. It was a grown up meatball parm sandwich with ricotta replacing the usual mozzarella and thinly sliced cucumber on the top to add a nice bit of crunch. The Warm Mushroom Salad with a poached feather ridge egg was lush, although the frisee was a bit of a distraction for some of us. Other items that I'll try on my next go around are the Blue Crab Crostino with jalapeno and tomato, Steak Tartara Piedmontese or one of my personal favorites, Burrata with pepperonta, puntarelle and fried rosemary.