Caracas Arepa Bar: Why am I Not Eating This Everyday of My Life?!

When I first moved to New York , one of the first places I ate at was Caracas Bar in the East Village. I never went back since, because it was so freaking small. Thankfully in Williamsburg, they have another restaurant. I figured it has been at least 2 plus years since my last arepa, and I wanted to check it out.

 Buddy and I went on a dinner date and was I surprised at how much room this location has! It was a fairly nice night, so we decided to sit outside. It was super cute and romantic.

 We got there around 6pm ( yeah I know, just call us senior citizens... and Im not afraid to admit I LOVE tapioca pudding) and it was still happy hour. We both got a beer (Magic Hat)  and shot deal. The shot was a Venezuelan rum. It was sweet, but still made me make that "face" after taking it.
Price: $6.00

 Braised Beef Arepa

This was a special that night, it was slow cooked beef sliced and layered with red onions and plantains. It came hot and packed with flavor. Especially after a nice drizzle of the special sauce they had sitting on the table. The beef was tender and easy to bit into. I would definitely order this again

Price: $7.00

 Reina Pepiada

This was shredded chicken mixed with avocado salad and served cold. It was probably the tastiest chicken salad I have ever had.  Filled to capacity and the arepas crunchy texture complimented this perfectly. I would order this again, and again, and again...

Price: $6.75

Yoyos

These were sweet plantains stuffed with white cheese. Buddy really loved them, and it came with a side of maple sauce. They were just okay for me, the cheese wasn't even melted and it just tasted like wheat bread sandwiching under ripe bananas and tasteless cheese. Would not recommend.

Price: $5.50

Verdict: Boy were these satisfying! One major stand out was the spicy sauce they had sitting on the table. It was DELICIOUS. They should bottle that shit up and sell it! I would purchase it in a second.  The staff was attentive and the food came out fast. I can't wait to go back!

Caracas Arepa Bar

291 Grand Street

Brooklyn NY 11211

http://www.caracasarepabar.com/

Bar Celona: Wait- Am I in the West Village?

Friday night, and it was getting cold out. The lazy and warm thing  to do? Go right next door to get something to eat! Buddy and I headed over to Bar Celona right in South Williamsburg and grabbed a seat next to their fire pit....only to move away from the fire pit. The flames ended up melting my face off!

Away after we settled down, we decided to  get drunk eat....

Beet Gineration

This was made with ginger liquor, plymouth vermouth, lemon juice, beet jalapeño juice mix.  All the flavors were pretty subtle, but the only standout was the beet juice. If you like beets, get this. If you are like Buddy, you will jag at the taste.

Price: $10.00

 Esterno's Prime

This was made with rum, aperol, grapefruit, manzanilla syrup,and BC house tonic. To be honest I don't remember how this tasted. So I guess I would pass on this again. Buddy didn't like it either.

Price: $9.00

 Mussels

This was made with curry sauce, potatoes and peas. Underneath? Freaking ramen noodles! A nice way to use up the broth. The broth was good, but nothing special. I was still hungry after this since the portions are tapas sized.

Price: $11.00

 Piquillo Peppers

Goat Cheese, herbs, and spicy tomato sauce.  Nice slow cooked peppers stuffed with goat cheese. The cheese was kind of gritty (with all the herbs in it) but still tasty. The slow roasted peppers melted in my mouth and its acidic nature was toned down by the cheese.

Price: $9.00

Verdict: To be honest, we would have stayed a lot longer if the seating was more comfortable and the music wasn't so damn loud.The tables were too low so we were eating crouched down the whole time and it was just awkward to position yourself that way. The drinks were creative and the food was good, but something about this place just doesn't make me want to go back. Even if it is right next door to my apartment.

Bar Celona

104 South Street

Brooklyn NY 11211

http://barcelonaloungenyc.com/

Renaissance Time Square Hote, RLoungel: Free Food and Drinks? Where Do I Sign Up?!

A couple of weeks ago, my former boss Ana invited me and the rest of the crew to a free happy hour at R Lounge in Renaissance Hotel. Free? Food? Liquor? FREE?! I was totally in.

*just a note, I forgot to write down the prices and name descriptions, so all of these are just educated estimates. Their website isn't up yet with the menu.

Strawberry Alcoholic Concoction

Acai Martini

I got this... and boy was this filled with alcohol. If you really want to get hammered and crunk with Britney ( for those of you who know what I'm talkin about) then just 2 of these babies will do the trick. I couldn't even finish my one drink! 

Price: $10.00

Queso Dip

Nice, cheesy, gooey dip, freshly fried torilla chips hit the spot and pairs perfectly with beer.

Price: $ 8.00

Calamari

The marinara sauce was the kind that I would totally want to pour over pasta. Light, not too sweet and not too sour. The calamari were chewy, and a nice size.

Price: $10.00

Beef Sliders

Rock Shrimp

Okay, so 2 of us at the table ordered the shrimp. I only got 4 shrimp, and they got 5!! I totally felt ripped off. Granted, they did just open, so maybe they are working out the kinks in the kitchen. But still for the money, I hope everyone eventually get 5 shrimp. This came with a side of mayo and cocktail sauce. For what it's worth, the shrimp were huge.

Price: $10.00

Hummus Toast

A little too excited, someone already took a piece before I could take the picture

Pork Chips

This was deep fried and topped with cheese and spices. Like a rich mans pork rinds.

Price: $8.00

Pulled Pork Sliders

Chicken Wings

4 hole chicken wings. Too much breading, not enough meat! The breading was also tasteless, but the honey helped.

Price: $8.00

Pigging out, a girls other favorite hobby other then shopping.

Fried Peas

Tempura battered, with a side of mayo (??) Now eating vegetables can be yummy!

Price: $6.00

Chicken Burgers

My first touristy picture, ever. Not a bad view at all.

My former co-workers! Aww, I miss them.  From left: Aaron, Janelle, Me, Priscilla, Giselle, Ana, Donna, Carly, Cherry, and Kristina

The Lobby

Hanging testicles, and ass shaped pillars. I guess all the sexual innuendos are supposed to help you get laid ( with the help of that acai drink!) 

Verdict: I normally would never suggest voluntarily going to Times Square, but if you happen to be in the area and are in desperate need of a drink, snack, and hanging balls, this is the place to go. The view is amazing and not too crowded when I went on a Thursday night. There was a DJ there, but he kind of sucked so maybe they fired him, or hopefully he picks better songs. 

The R Lounge at Renaissance Hotel

714 Seventh Ave

New York, NY 10036

http://www.rloungetimessquare.com/

Apothéke: Pretentious but Delicious

So what do you do when you save money on dinner ? Spend it on drinks of course! Deep in the roots of chinatown, there is a speck easy just across the way from Joe's Shanghai. The entrance looks like a run down restaurant, and there were 2 shady looking bouncers at the front. I was scared!

ooOOoo, this is a real shitty picture spooky walk to the bar

The inside was rustic and romantically themed with themed with dime lights and plush seating. I wanted to smoke a cigarette from one of those quellazaires. Alas, I hate cigarettes, so that wasn't going to happen.

Light up Marble counter tops!

Lavender Fields

This was made with fresh lavender, tequila, pressed limes, and kalamanci fruit. The main taste was tequila, I am not a huge tequila fan so this was not my favorite. I couldn't taste much lavender, but there were definite notes of lime.

Pepper Infusion

This was made with fresh green peppers, peppercorns, vodka, fresh dill, and fennel oil essence. This was pretty tasty,  nice hint of fennel with a light salty finish. It was like drinking a meal. Alcoholics rejoice! Who needs dinner, when you can drink it?

Jasmine Sour

This was made with house brewed jasmine tea, vodka, ginger juice, candied ginger essence, and and egg white. This was kind of spicy, the foam of egg white was a nice touch, I never drank egg white before. It was super light and fluffy, like a kittens belly ( I am running out of analogies here..) anyway, the herbal hint from the tea, mixed with the ginger made my mouth smelling fresh for the rest of the night.

Price: All drinks are $15.00

Verdict: Pro's : Carefully made drinks, extensive menu, and attentive bartenders. Con's: Utterly pretentious bouncers in fedoras and zoot suits (come one... really?)and atmosphere. Breaks the bank after 1 drink. Call it what you want, but this place is worth giving a shot at least once. It was a fun experience, and while my drinks were double the price of my dinner, it brought on good conversation with friends.

Apothéke

9 Doyers St
New York, NY 10079

www.apothekenyc.com/

Adrienne's Pizza Bar: There is Potential Here

So it's a little embarrassing to admit that I have only been to the Financial District once in my time living in New York (and it was only to shop at Century 21....the biggest headache disguised as a department store ever... but thats another story) Anyway, I decided to visit Adrienne's Pizza Bar with the intention of finally visiting South Street Seaport afterwards.

The little alley way to the restaurant...this reminds me of Italy's little hidden streets...*sigh*

I met up with Melissa, and both opted for the indoor seating since it was so hot out. Clearly others didn't feel the same

Complimentary Bread

I don't know if it was the fact that I was very hungry, or if they put magic in this bread, but it was ADDICTING. It came piping hot, utterly soft and fluffy. It came with olive oil and vinegar ( no that is not a olive).

Price: Free

Pizza Toscana

This was a 10 inch white pizza with prosciutto, potato, scallions, and basil.  The slice was sturdy enough that you didn't have to fold it in half to eat. The components sadly,  weren't cooked correctly. Let's start with the potato: first of all it was cold (??) and to top it off it was unnecessarily oily. The proscuitto was over cooked, I felt like I was eating bacon. They should have put it on top after the the pie came out of the oven so it could keep its buttery soft texture. The scallions and basil were lovely, I wouldn't have minded if they made a pizza with just scallions!  Overall, the pizza was satisfying, but nothing to have an orgasm over.

Price: $16.00

Lobster Ravioli

This was came with 5 pieces and topped with tomato basil sauce. Holy shit... do you see the giant chunk of lobster meat on my ravioli?! There were at least 3 pieces this big (score!) The center was also stuffed with bits of lobster meat and ricotta cheese. The sauce was light, fresh and delicious. The only gripe I have was that they didn't offer freshly grated Parmesan cheese to top it off : ( 

Price: $18.00

Verdict: This place was pretty good, fast service and in a nice area, however I wouldn't go out of your way to eat here. It's just a nice option in the touristy area of South Street Seaport.

Adrienne's Pizza Bar

54 Stone Street
New York, NY 10004-2617

www.adriennespizzabar.com

Black Lab Bistro: Table on the Road-er- Outside Please!

After Buddy picked me up from the train last Friday, we headed down to our parents neighborhood to grab some food in Phoenixville. It was already 9:30pm and I had not eaten since 11am. I. Was. Starving.

When we got there, it was still pretty poppin! Since it was such a nice night, we wanted to sit outside.  This is the table they gave us. Practically on the road. Well I do love the smell of exhaust when I try to eat. Fantastic. Buddy looks like he is passing gas, or smelling it. Either way, gas was involved somehow.

Complimentary Bread

Yum, my favorite buttery rosemary herb spread. The bread is forgettable, but the butter is very tasty, especially for how hungry we both were!

Price: Free

Lobster Mac and Cheese

I normally dont order appetizers, but I felt like I had been on a fast for the past week so I picked the most luxorious sounding thing on the appetizer menu. This was in a small tart dish and disappeared as quickly as it arrived. The menu says there is truffle oil in here. but I didn't really taste any. But who really gives a shit about truffles anyway? They are overrated.

Anyway, the mac and cheese was super duper, uber velvety to little chunks of loster meal hidden in every nook and cranny. The pasta was cooked a little over al dente, but thats okay, it just added more to the creaminess. The generous topping of panko crumbs was nice, but ended up being a bit soggy.

Price: $12.00

Colossal Lump Crab Cakes

Buddy ordered this dish. These are the best crabcakes. EVER. No seriously, they are fucking amazing. Chunks of crab, not that mushy pulverized crap. With the nice sear of the pan  to add crunch and the tangy, tart tartar sauce, this is a solid meal. And look, it even looks like a face, how cute!

Price: $26.00

Pan Seared Red Snapper

This was on their specials menu for the night. It was topped with lobster chili sauce and came with coconut rice and edamame. Super creamy sweet rice paired with buttery fish. An interesting combination in my mouth. Maybe not the most successful thing they had ever put out but satisfying none the less.

Price $26.00

Black Lab Bistro

248 Bridge Street

 Phoenixville, PA‎ 19460

www.blacklabbistro.net