Ciao for Now: Yum in My Tum!

A couple of weekends ago, Buddy and I headed over to Ciao for Now, a little cafe in the East Village. I actually got a Groupon for them for 30 dollars worth of food, so I was ready to pig out! When we got there is was pretty busy and surprisingly crowded...

 Aww, they have my favorite flowers ever! I love love love orchids.

 Almond Brioche French Toast

We got the brunch specials which comes with orange juice and fruit. Buddy got the french toast, they were HUGE. However, they were not as toasted as I would have liked them to be.A little too soft, but still satisfying.

Price: $9.50

Extreme Green Omelette

The omelette was made with spinach, leeks, asparagus, and broccoli. The eggs were  over cooked but the flavors in the vegetables really came threw. I guess I can't complain since I ended up eating every last bite. (But then again, I hadn't eaten since the night before at 6 and it was going on 2pm the next day).... anyway, it was good, but I wouldn't get it again.

Price: $9.50

Verdict: Well, before I forget, the winner of this place are definitely the banana muffins! I didn't get a chance to take a picture of them (since I devoured it the moment I took the first bite)... soo.. here's a picture of a muffin?

well, it was delicious.

Ciao For Now

 523 E 12th St

New York NY 10009

(also various locations)

http://www.ciaofornow.net/

Paris Baguette: Asian Pastries Are Freaking Awesome

Paris Baguette. They aren't French, and they definitely do not sell the best baguettes, but they are conveniently located 1 block from my office and filled with tasty pastry treats.

 Cheese Croissant

Flaky chewy croissant with a slice of American cheese in the center. Basically, a fat kids grilled cheese. I suggest if you do get this one, throw it in the toaster to melt the cheese more. The cheese was a bit rubbery, but still tasty.

Price: $1.70

 Red Bean Squares

Basically mini croissants sandwiching red bean paste. Tasty, and sounds like exactly what is in it. Nothing special, I probably wouldn't get this again.

Price: $ 1.70

Cream Cheese Stuffed Bread

Holy Shit. 

Get this.

 Warm fluffy bagel shaped bread topped with toasted almond slices. Inside? Sweet creamy cream cheese. Freaking awesome.

Price: $2.00

Matcha Green Tea Bread with Sweet Potato Filling

The sweet potato was a little too sweet, but still pretty good. Nothing I would hunt down again.

Price: $1.80

Strawberry Spongecake

No, this isn't all for me! I got the awesome job of picking out a co-workers birthday cake.

It came with a super cute cake slicer and matches!

Pineapple slices stuffed inside. Light and spongy, almost guilt free cake! The perfect portion for 8 people (or 2?)

Price: $22.00

Verdict:  Trial and error hear, but go for your gut feeling (aka, what pastries make you salivate at first glance) and you won't be disappointed!

Paris Baguette

various locations

Pasticceria Rocco: Honey I Blew up the Cookies!!

Walking around the West Village again, I spotted a crap load of tourists outside a pastry store listening to some tour guide. As she rambled on about the store, my gaze turned toward the giant cookies on display at the window. I shoved past the crowd of people to investigate.

I would eat every last crumb of eat cake and lick my fingers with delight afterwards. Which makes me wonder...how many cakes does one eat in a life time? I think I'm already up to 70, possibly even 100....

Somebody was going cookie crazy in front of me at the counter, they were the size of a boob, maybe a 34B?

Rocky Road Cookie

Holy moley did they get the ratio of chocolate chips to cookie down right! Folded in between were pieces of melted marshmallows lending a chewy bite. Chocolatey and even a bit of a coffee aftertaste. A solid rocky road cookie.

Almond Lover Cookie

This was not for lovers, it was for crazy almond stalkers who carry viles of almond oil around their necks! Literally all almonds, the only thing holding the cookie together was the minimal amount of cookie dough. The healthy drizzle of dark chocolate was a perfect topper. Amazing.

Price: $3.00 per cookie

Verdict: Satisfying cookies, and an endless array of other sweets. They have seating too if you want to relax and get coffee or espresso.

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/

Faicco's Italian Meat Shoppe: A...Snack?

The other week I was in the West Village waiting for a friend to meet up for lunch. I was STARVING and had not eaten since 8 am. After waiting for her it turned out that her train was stuck. Well it was 2:30pm and I was ready to eat my own arm. Sooo....I decided to grab a snack.

 Proscuitto Stuffed Roll

I guess this is where the "your eyes are bigger than your stomach" comes into play. This roll was a little larger than the size of a giant New York bagel. The guy behind the counter warmed it up for me in the microwave, and boy am I ever glad he did. The roll was super airy, and chewy. It was a beautiful hybrid of chewy baguette and flaky pastry dough. Umm... and do you SEE the center?? Chopped proscuitto in every nook and cranny. Needless to say I finished the whole thing and ate lunch with my friend an hour later. I was going to have some really satisfying poops later that night.
Price: $3.00
Verdict: Skip Joe's Pizza and head over to Faicco's for a satisfying and savory snack. And don't forget to let them warm it up!

Faicco's Italian Meat Shoppe

260 Bleeker Street

New York, NY 10014

The Rabbithole: A Dinner Experiment

Rabbithole, conveniently located 1 block from my apartment, and yet I have never been there for dinner. The brunchs have always been delicious, and I am hoping the same for dinner...

Grilled Vegetables

This was made with goat cheese and fig vincotto. F.Y.I- vincotto means to be cooked down with wine. DELICIOUS, flavorful, softly cooked and a fairly large portion. Sweet, sour, creamy, perfect. A nice appetizer or even a light dinner if you are not too hungry.

Price: $11.00

Fries with Aoili Dip

Nice quality fries, the kind you wonder why you are still eating them when you are full. They are crisp and came out hot as hell. The sauce tasted like sour cream with a bit of garlic. It was tasty, but could have used another herb, like rosemary to liven it up a bit.

Price: $4.00

Angel Hair Pasta

This was made with tomato, garlic, basil, a splash of olive oil and shaved Parmesan.  My roomate ordered this, and it was finished before I could even ask for a bite! She said it was super garlicy (but that is a good thing).

Price: $11.00

Grilled Salmon

This was made with roasted sweet potato, beets, parsnip and string beans in a dill horseradish sauce. Dana ordered this one. I had a bite, the salmon was cooked perfectly and flaked off effortlessly with a gentle push of the fork. 

Price: $16.00

Skirt Steak Salad

This was made with oranges, and blue cheese. Nick got this one, however, he ordered it medium rare and it came out medium well. It was still flavorful, if not a bit chewy.

Price: $15.00

Fish and Chips

This was stout beer battered cod with hand cut fries ain a remoulade sauce and side of vinegar. I ordered this one. The  batter was like the texture of the outside of a corndog. A little soggy since they didn't bring it to me right away. The cod was extremely moist and fell apart after each bite. I ended up having to use a fork to finish this dish. It was okay, but I would not order this again.

Price: $11.00

Verdict: Very slow service, we even had to wait for our menus! There are definite hits and misses for dinner. The grilled vegetables were superb. I would order that again and again!

The Rabbithole

352 Bedford Ave

Brooklyn, NY 11211

http://www.rabbitholerestaurant.com/