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!