NYC ONE BLOCK FOOD TOUR

The other weekend I had an errand to run in the East Village and when I was done I was hungry.  

I first made my way over to Crif Dogs (113 St. Marks Place between 1st Avenue and Avenue A).

 Their dogs are made of naturally smoked beef and pork.  I had one of their Chili dogs which comes smothered with mustard, onions and their secret chili sauce.

 I have to say I wasn't crazy about the taste of their dog.  As a native New Yorker, I'll take the one from a Food Cart any day over this one (I know.  I know.  They're made of things I wouldn't even want to know, but they are oh so good!)  But, it was still fun to try.  They have a menu of dogs with pretty much any topping you can imagine, and if you don't find one you like, you can order one up any way you like it.  After that I wanted to head to Butter Lane- perhaps one of my all time favorite cupcake places in the city, and I realized it was just around the corner!  As I was walking to Butter Lane, I came across First Avenue Pierogi and Deli (130 1st Avenue between 7th Street and St. Marks Place)- a truly authentic little place which makes some of the BEST pierogis I have ever tried!

Seriously, whenever I crave pierogis from now on I will go here.  I ordered the potato and cheese ones to go and made them at home.  They have everything from potato and onion, to sauerkraut and mushroom to meat.  They also sell cheese blintzes which I didn't get to try, but have heard they are awesome.  Anyway, it was a great find and made us want to continue our little Food Tour.  A couple of doors down from there is South Brooklyn Pizza (122 1st Avenue between 7th Street and St. Marks Place).

Wow!  This place could easily be missed.  In fact, it looks more like a cheese shop than a pizzeria on the outside.  This might just be one of the best slices in this part of the city.  It is perfect.  It is fresh.  You don't go here to sit...instead, grab a slice of their neapolitan margherita pizza (with fresh creamy mozzarella and fresh basil) and put some of their roasted garlic on it and eat it standing up or on the go...amazing!!!

Then a few more doors down from South Brooklyn Pizza is Wechsler's Currywurst and Bratwurst (120 1st Avenue between 7th Street and St Marks Place)- a German beer and sausage place- how great!!!

 The line at this place was insane, and we were pretty stuffed from hot dogs, pierogis and pizza at this point- so we didn't try it, but have it on our list to try in the future.  Afterwards, we finally made it to Butter Lane (123 East 7th Street between 1st Avenue and Avenue A).

 Their cupcakes are soft and delicious and made from all natural ingredients.  They are dense, but not too sweet.  You can choose between one of three different types of cakes (vanilla, chocolate or banana), and then you can choose your icing.  My favorite is the banana cake with vanilla frosting...oh my gosh, I'm drooling just thinking about it!  

Bottom line- this place is so good, and I have tried a lot of cupcake places in New York City.

 So, who knew that 7th Street and St. Marks Place was such a good foodie destination?!?  

Plus, Tompkins Square Park is just across the street and has a great dog run...Riley loved it!

(Coat: Club Monaco, Scarf: South Moon Under, Jeans: Anthropologie, Sunnies: Fendi, Boots: Unity from Famous Footwear, Handbag: Cole Haan)

 Do you guys know about any other good One Block NYC Food Tours?  If so, leave me a comment.

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY SETAI!

The Setai NYC recently celebrated its 1st birthday.  I am kicking myself for not having gone there yet.

Just look at these pictures and you'll see why.   

One of the main reasons why I haven't stayed here yet is the hefty price tag...rates start at $545 at night.   

If I want to be a SMART Jet Setter, maybe husband and I will just go there one night for a drink. ;)

NYC'S FOOD TRUCK FRENZY EVENT

What are you doing for lunch today? Well, get ready to line up for some delicious food-to-go! If white napkin, sit down service is your thing, then don't read on any further. But, if you are open to trying something that's quick and cheap and oh so good, then have we got the event for you! Today is NYC's Zagat Food Truck Frenzy- a chance for New Yorkers (at least those who aren't afraid to eat food out of something that drives around on four wheels) to sample some of the city's BEST food trucks. There will be everything you can think of- from Mexican, to Waffles and even Chinese! More than 20 food trucks in total will dish out their best stuff- and for just a few bucks you will be able to try it all. So what are you waiting for?

Event Details:

WHAT: Zagat Food Truck Frenzy

WHERE: 21st & 22nd Streets between 10th & 11th Avenues
WHEN: Monday, May 23, 2011

TIME: 12PM-3PM

INFO: http://www.zagatfoodtruckfrenzy.evenbrite.com/

Participating Trucks Include:
Bian Dang, Big D's Grub, Big Gay Ice Cream Truck, Bistro Truck, Cinnamon Snail, Coolhaus, Cupcake Crew, Cupcake Stop, Desi Truck, Eddie's Pizza, Endless Summer Tacos, Feed Your Hole, Joyride Truck, Katchkie Truck, Kelvin Natural Slush Co., Korilla Food Truck, La Cense Beef Burger, Luke's Lobster Truck, Mexicue, Mud Truck, Souvlaki GR, Steak Truck, Sweetery, Treats Truck and Van Leeuwen Ice Cream

NYC RESTAURANT WEEK(S)

Listen up all my foodies in New York City and all my jet setters who are looking for a reason to travel to New York, NYC Restaurant Week has been announced for January 25-February 7, 2010. Notice the capital "S" in the word WeekS because the event actually lasts for two weeks instead of the usual one week! Almost 300 restaurants in New York City are participating and offering great deals. Here's what you'll get:
Lunch: $24.07 for a three-course price-fixed meal
Dinner: $35.00 for a three-course price-fixed meal
Beverages, taxes and gratuity not included
Start making your reservations now! It's a great way to try some of the fancy, expensive restaurants in NYC without breaking your wallet.

KICKING OFF A NEW TEXAN WEEKEND

What's a New Texan weekend you ask? Well, it's a New York City weekend made special by a visit from our friends from "The Big D" (Dallas, Texas)! Becca and Saleem Zafar have been to NYC a bunch of times now, so we tried to come up with fun things to do and non-touristy restaurants to go to that they haven't been to before...and we did, but sometimes mixing in a couple of touristy things can also make it more fun- especially around the holidays.
So after picking them up Friday night from LaGuardia Airport, we headed straight for The Plaza Hotel.This time of year, the lobby is always decorated so beautifully with lights and a tree. You can sit at the bar and have a cocktail (pretty pricey- around $18-$30 for one drink) to take it all in.Or you can just pop in like we did to snap some photos and pretend that you are in a scene of the movie Home Alone 2.Next, we checked out the windows at Bergdorf Goodman. It's amazing, how much work goes into the windows at the department stores. If you are planning a New York City weekend, I would make sure to see the windows at Bergdorf, Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor- they are all interesting and unique in their own way.

Then of course, just a couple of blocks down, is the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center. We've all seen it a dozen times, but it still makes you oooh and aaah to see it again.We snapped some photos and by this time had worked up an appetite and wanted to eat. But, where do you take a couple in Midtown Manhattan that's trendy, not stuffy, not touristy, but still yummy? That's a hard call. Most people would say there's no place, just head downtown. Well, East Side Social Club is the answer. It just opened a few weeks ago and inside it feels like a scene out of the movie "Goodfellas." All the waiters and waitresses are dressed in 1940's clothing.The tables and chairs are made out of wood and the tablecloths are those red and white checkered ones that you'll often find in a pizzeria.

Their Ricotta Gnocchi with house made Bolognese Ragu for $17 is delicious!This was just the beginning of a fun filled New York City weekend. Find out what else we did in and around the city tomorrow.