NYC Winter Restaurant Week is Back!

The ever-popular Restaurant Week is back and better than ever, now in its 19th year. Over 300 restaurants are participating, offering prix-fixe menus until February 6th. You can explore a new venue or visit an old favorite and pay $24.07 for lunch or $35 for dinner (excluding beverages, tax and gratuity). People that's a steal! Browse menus online and schedule a visit to some of the most renowned establishments NYC has to offer. After perusing the menus I've decided that Ai Fiori, BondSt, Lure Fishbar, Riverpark, SD26 and Tanuki Tavern are just some of the many eateries not to miss during this annual event. Reservations fill up quickly, so make sure and reserve your spot today! I'll see you there!

Happy Eating!

Little Star

oxox

Food for Thought Travel Fantasy: Hawaii

It was freezing rain in NYC today which made me start daydreaming about lying on the beach and basking in the warm sun of Hawaii. Wouldn't you just love sipping a delicious frothy pina colada and enjoying a fresh mahi mahi sandwich from Kua 'Aina in Oahu? MMMM I can almost taste it. A girl can day dream...can't she!?

Little Star


oxox

Ofrenda-My Mexican Heaven

I’m so excited to share this next neighborhood Gem with you. Ladies and Gents say hello to my new favorite Mexican joint: Ofrenda. Ofrenda is located in the West Village and serves home-style Mexican cuisine which means you won’t find any burritos drenched in sour cream on this menu. Not that there’s anything wrong with burritos drenched in sour cream, I love myself a good burrito but what Ofrenda offers is a tribute to upscale Mexican at a great price which I haven’t seen in a long time in NYC..take note cough Dos Caminos cough.

Before I start my long rant of all the reasons why I love this place, I’m going to sum it up for all my people out there why you NEED to go ASAP:


1)      Happy hour is served 4-7 PM everyday with $5 margs and sangria and is offered not only at the bar but at ANY table as well
2)      Homemade chips and guac…and free refills on chips should you have any guac left in your bowl
3)      I already said Happy Hour available everywhere correct? Right so really…

OK. Now that I’ve made myself clear we can move along. The atmosphere here is fantastic. Mexican style "day of the dead" memorabilia makes up the decor inside. It has beautiful mood lighting with candles highlighting the tables and walls. This place is perfect for a romantic, fun date or a night out with friends!

The service is to a "T" awesome. From the warm hostess, to the bartender and bus boy, to our server Jorge, everyone was so personable, nice and made you feel how you should feel while dining at a restaurant...taken care of! This was my second visit here, so imagine my surprise by the end of the evening when I realize that Jorge our server who had been great all night is actually part owner of the restaurant. That to me earns a Little Star in itself and shows me he is well trained and truly cares about his the success of his restaurant.

Alrighty, moving on now to the good stuff! I started with the Red Sangria which was delicious. My boyfriend had the traditional dos xx lager which also didn’t disappoint. Both were only $5 on happy hour.

For apps we ordered the Guac and chips which rivals some of the best I’ve ever tasted. Spicy with a pinch of salt which I love. The homemade chips are great..they are hearty and thicker than the traditional chip and feel as though they were made with love.

We also opted for the "Quesadilla A La Parrilla Con Pico De Gallo" (grilled flour tortilla with pepper jack and oaxaca cheese, black beans, avocado, Mexican cream) to start which was good as well. Honestly this was my least favorite dish being a little too traditional but by all means was still a tasty treat. The pico tasted extremely fresh.

Last time we also tried the Chorizo a la cervaza which is spanish sausage, tomatoes, beer and chiles that comes out piping hot which I thought was AMAZING and you know how I love my snausage..(yes I meant to spell it that way).

For my main dish I had the "Black Angus Hanger Steak A La Parrilla" which was a grilled hanger steak drizzled in charred tomatillo salsa, stuffed chayote (mexican squash stuffed with pepper jack, cream, scallion), and garlic mash potatoes which I subbed for the roasted ones on the menu. This entree was super delicious.  I especially love the mexican squash. The steak was a tad bit over medium which is what I asked for, but still tender and full of flavor. No A1 needed on this one. I didn’t have a bite left.

My boyfriend got the "Costillas De Borrego Rostizadas Con Chile Poblano" which is the roasted rack of lamb, served with garlic mashed potatoes, grilled shiitake mushrooms and a radish chimichurri sauce. He was practically licking the bones of the meat after he ate it. The lamb was cooked perfectly and so tender. It rivals some of the best lamb I've tasted. The Mash potatoes were also creamy and delicious. 

Both entrees were under $20 and tasted like a million bucks. From the friendly service, to the extensive  menu of yummy drinks and the freshness, quality and taste of the delicious food earns Ofrenda 4 ½ Little Stars. Don’t waste anytime heading over there and don't forget to say hello to my friend Jorge.

Happy Eating! 


oxox 


Little Star

Sushi Mambo

I love sushi. Has to be one of my favorite things to eat and I love having it with friends..just makes for a perfect group activity. Although I have a few staples I like in my hood and of course reference the crème de le crème of sushi restaurants when needed, I always like to try new places looking for the next gem.  After reading some good reviews on the web I settled on Ido Sushi in the West Village for my next adventure with my GF who was visiting from London. 

We went on a Wednesday and I was pleasantly surprised how busy and cute it was inside. There was a piano and what looked like a small stage in the front of the restaurant as well. After waiting 10 mins for a table, the hostess lead us to one right in front of the stage. Lovely! Not so fast, no sooner did we sit down, did we hear the sounds of a wannabe Andréa Bocelli belting out his opera tunes in straight up Italiano like he was at the coliseum in Rome!? As you can imagine my gf and I were quite surprised at this but figured it must be a special part of the piano show. After an intense rendition, the Italian man stepped down and all of a sudden a lovely little Asian girl popped right on stage with her sheet music and that’s right you guessed it..started belting out more Italian opera. Needless to say nowhere in the reviews I read did they say anything about an open mic night for OPERA..but I guessed we missed the memo. As expected we dashed out of there before the waitress could say Buona sera.

That led us to try a little joint called Sushi Mamba around the corner. I’ve always walked by it on Bleecker Street and just never stopped in. We both ordered the Plum wine as soon as we sat, which is a must have at any sushi establishment. It was standard and delicious.  I started off with a miso soup which was good as well. Not too salty and not burned so I was happy with it. My GF got the pork gyoza and that was really appetizing as well, nice and crispy on the outside and perfectly warmed on the inside.

We split 4 rolls including the Cornelia Roll (Smoked Salmon, cream cheese, Avocado, crab & cucumber on top), Volcano Roll (Spicy Tuna Crunch with Spicy sauce), West Village Roll (Shrimp Tempura, Spicy Tuna, Avocado, Cucumber, Crunch and Masago) and a Big Apple Roll (shrimp tempura, apple and crab).  I have to say I really liked the volcano one the best with all the yummy tempura flakes and spicy mayo.  I wasn’t a huge fan of the Cornelia only because I think the salmon was a tad too strong(fishy) tasting for my sushi taste buds. All in all though, I thought it was pretty decent sushi, attentive service and will give it 2 Little Stars. Won’t be dying to going back anytime soon but will leave it as an option should I run into any more open mic nights in the hood’.

Happy Eating!

oxox

Little Star

Happy New Year!

Cheers to a fabulous 2011, filled with endless possibilities, lots of delicious meals and wonderful people to share them with!

oxox


Little Star