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.

Delicious Hummus on the UES

Nanoosh on the UES has the most cravable hummus topped with sauteed mushrooms. For some reason, this creamy, tahini laden version has created unbelievable desire whenever I'm having lunch on the UES. And not only is it delish, it's also a bargain at $7.95 for lunch which includes a salad and soda. I've never been to nor walked by the restaurant, so I can offer no opinions on the space, but I can vouch that the delivery is fast and reliable.

Nanoosh

1273 1st Ave at 69th Street

(917) 677-7575

Finally back in NYC after an awesome vacation in Argentina and Chile, which I'll be posting about shortly. Also was in LA, but was working so the best I had was a Double, Double, animal style from In-N-Out burger!