Mind Over Stomach

As a born and raised NYC-er, I’m a bit disturbed that I’d never even passed Freeman’s Alley until recently. Googling the address really doesn’t help – it takes you to Chrystie Street and then you stare at a door for a while and realize you must be in the wrong spot. You know you’re in the right spot when you see a long alley, people waiting and a guy reminding you that it’s a “24 hour quiet zone” and you can’t talk on your cell phone. That’s gotta be a fun job to have.

I made a reservation else where for brunch with hopes there wouldn’t be a long wait here – and it was under 20 mintutes so we did it. What a great place. A bit noisey and great people watching. We were seated on the back right near the bar. Our waiter was a nice guy. He recommended some drinks and informed us of the specials. I had a orange-ish champagne drink that wasn’t very tasty. I’m not sure why I get drinks with champagne – cause I really don’t enjoy champagne. We shared the artichoke dip which was excellent. It came with small pieces of perfectly toasted bread, The dip wasn’t too cheesy and was crispy on top. Then I had the grilled cheese. It was good but a little overdone for me. I don’t like it so crispy. It came with mixed greens which were lightly dressed and tasty.

It was insanely rainy outside so we decided to stay at the bar and have another drink. I had a Mrs. Palmer (lavender honey, lemon, iced tea) with vodka and it was outstanding. I could drink those all day. Anything with lavender honey makes me happy. It was definitely a bit pricey and I wouldn’t go every Sunday for brunch but we definitely enjoyed it. Plus they played Arcade Fire so I was happy.

Freeman’s
191 Chrystie Street aka Freeman’s Alley

There are so many small cute restaurants in Alphabet City and it’s about time I check ‘em all out. A friend of mine told me to go here because it has a good food & drinks brunch. It was a really nice Saturday afternoon and we were able to sit outside. How can you turn down a$22 meal served with 3 cocktails (mimosa, bloody mary or sangria). Waitress was friendly and nice. Asked her if I should get the pancakes or french toast and she said definitely to the pancakes so I took her advice. My friend had a bloody mary and I went for the mimosa. He ordered lobster mac n’ cheese which apparently was the must-have dish. I wouldn’t touch the dish, even though he kept telling me there was a way around the lobster, I know it still touched it. My chocolate chip cakes were good – drizzled with dulce leche although a little dry. I asked the waitress for more dulce leche, she went to get it and came back with syrup and said “sorry, we can’t find the dulce leche.” Um, okay? You put it on my pancakes minutes ago, did you really lose it? That was super odd. The potato hash was probably the best part. More like chopped potatoes with grilled veggies than home fries but I enjoyed them enough to get another side of them.

For the price we paid, it was good but I was really confused by the dulce leche situation. Wouldn’t you be?

Poco
33 Avenue B

This place received great reviews and we felt we needed to check it out. It was so not Newport-esque and I truly felt like I was in Miami when we arrived. It was a huge restaurant on the water with tons of outside seating, neon lights and all the staff in long sleeve/long pant white outfits. I was astonished that the kitchen was up about 40 stairs and they had to carry trays up and down the stairs.

We were immediately seated and it took a while for our waitress to come over and ask if we wanted drinks. We ordered drinks. My dads martini was so bad that he sent it back and asked for a beer. Our waters were room temperature. It’s mainly a fishy restaurant so there were very few veggie options for me. The waitress recommended getting side dishes and a salad, so I did. We ordered our appetizers. My caprese salad was good – nothing out of this world. They brought out my dads salad and dropped the tomato on the back of my shirt. The waiter laughed, barely apologized and asked my dad if he wanted another tomato. Yes, I want one – please. A while later he brought out a “new” tomato. As another waitress came by to clear our plates, she asked if we wanted dessert. We hadn’t had our entrees yet. I had asparagus and tater tots. Both were fine – room temperature and nothing special. My moms fish was room temperature and my dads was just eh. It took the waitress so long to bring anything, do anything, help with anything. The bill was extremely overpriced and we were not happy.

Overall, I would never go back to this place. Nothing was that good. The ambiance was too scene-y and trying to hard to be something other than Newport. I love Newport and it’s charm. We asked the guy at the hostess stand if he was the manager, and he said no but he would be happy to help us. We told him our complaints and he said he was sorry to hear that. The end. Never again.

The Grill at 41 North
351 Thames Street

My mom found this restaurant and decided it was a must-try while we were in Newport for the folk festival. I wasn’t feeling so great before we headed to dinner so I thought I should be cautious about what I ate. That was hard with the deliciousness that was about to come out.

It’s a cute little house with a few small rooms. Very cozy. Lots of tchotchkes all over the place but well kept and clean. The waitress was such a sweetheart and so accommodating. There was a full page in the menu for veggies – couldn’t be happier! We ordered the bruschette which only included two pieces of bread so she offered to provide us with 1 1/2 orders (3 of us) instead of having 1 or 2 full orders. Thanks for thinking about us waitress, we truly appreciate your effort. It was perfectly baked and delicious. Moving right along to my entree. I had the Ravioli di Zucca (Butternut squash and cheese filled ravioli with roasted peppers, sage, butter and pine nuts). It was excellent. The perfect amount of food, sauce, filling, cheese – everything. It was like heaven in my mouth. I was super impressed.

I have nothing excellent things to say about this fine establishment. Five stars for ambiance, service, food & price was even reasonable. We went here twice in three days and look forward to going back again next year when we’re in Newport.

Mama Luisa
673 Thames Street, Newport

A close friend of mine who also knows my taste buds very well recommended Crispo. My go-to foodie friend and I decided we needed to try it for one of our weekly dinners. We made a reservation on Open Table, got the time we wanted. Showed up at the restaurant, had the option to sit outside and we did because it was a beautiful evening. We looked at the menu and oooh-ed and aaaah-ed it like crazy and debated on what we should order. Our waiter was helpful in deciding what to order based on portions and how hungry we were. We ended up ordering 3 appetizers, a pasta, and a half order of a different pasta.

The bread and drinks came out and then the appetizers started coming out. My friend asked the busboy for some Parmesan cheese, he said “you want to buy it?” and we said no that we wanted it for our bread/appetizers. The woman that seated us came over and asked if we wanted Parmesan cheese and we said yes and she informed us that they do not provide Parmesan cheese but we could purchase it because it’s expensive and imported. We asked how much it was and she said $5.50. We confirmed that it would be enough for us to use for our entire meal not just appetizers and she said yes. Next thing you know, she brings out a ladle of grated cheese and says “here’s the IMPORTED cheese” (yes she emphasized imported). We continued on with out meal, a bit confused and asked our waiter what the deal was. He said it’s a policy because the cheese is so expensive so not provide it and it must be purchased. We didn’t comprehend but continued to eat our meal.

Next thing you know, they bring out our pastas and the busboy has a grated cheese device and asks if we want cheese on our pasta. My jaw dropped. We couldn’t put words together. WHAT? NOW we can have cheese and it’s grated differently? I don’t get it. Ask the waiter what the deal is and he says because it’s so expensive they only offer Parmesan for the main courses but not appetizers and bread. They try to regulate how much cheese is used. Still don’t understand. He tells me his manager deals with people asking all the time and it’s the owners policy. I ask to speak to the manager. Before she comes out he brings us two glasses of limoncello and emphasizes that it’s not a big deal but feels bad and wants to offer us something. (Limoncello is gross. Even in Italy, specifically Positano where it is made or as they say IMPORTED, I didn’t drink it)

So the manager (the woman who sat us who also brought us the $5.50 cheese) comes out and asks what the problem is. I explain to her that it makes no sense that we could have cheese with our entrees and not our appetizers and she explains that it’s expensive and imported. She proceeds to tell us that the same cheese we paid $5.50 for was the cheese that we had grated on our pasta. Wait wait what! You’re telling me I paid $5.50 for this earlier and now I can have an unlimited amount ON MY PASTA? I really don’t understand. She tells me it’s the owners policy for the past 7 years and they’re a small restaurant and are trying to save costs. I explain that there are hundreds of small restaurants in NYC and they are no different. If anything, they stand out as being absolutely ridiculous for this policy. The manager refused to remove the $5.50 on the bill and timidly walks away as I can’t seem to understand or grasp what she has to say and she doesn’t seem to really be behind it anyway. I was absolutely disturbed I enjoyed my food, but I couldn’t believe that we paid $140 for a meal that did not include Parmesan on our appetizers and we were charged for it.

I’ve been to top, high end, more expensive, more scene-y and exclusive restaurants throughout New York City and the world and never in my life have I received such poor customer service in someone demanding we pay for cheese that would otherwise be provided to us during the main course of our meal. I am absolutely repulsed and demand a better explanation.

Crispo
240 West 14th Street

My friend told me she was a regular here so we decided to go together as she highly recommended numerous dishes. We sat at the bar and had a drink before we were seated. The place was pretty empty at 7pm on a Thursday night. Our bartender was very nice. We were hoping to sit outside but the host said it was going to be a 15 minute wait (after our drinks) so we decided to sit inside. The service was very sub-par, pretty unfriendly people. We ordered a selection of veggie things to share. To be honest, I don’t even remember which dishes they were which clearly means they were not memorable. We did have the side of brussel sprouts which were excellent. I love brussels so much. I don’t know, overall it was a little pricey for nothing so exceptional. Cool ambiance, I give it that.

Extra Virgin
259 West 4th Street

Venturing down to the South Street Seaport is very rare for me. Yes, born and raised in NYC, and this is a neighborhood that I don’t know my way around at all – and could get completely lost down there. Luckily I was running late, so I was able to leave it to the cab driver to find Acqua

Cute italian restaurant on Peck Slip. Sounds like it belongs in the Hamptons or something, but no, it’s in the city! AN array of wine bottles lined the shelves, and it was a very clean Italian-looking restaurant. Our waiter was extremely friendly and helpful. When telling us the specials, he would repeat them. It’s funny how when you hear specials you tune in to specific words and often miss the first word and ask for it to be repeated – luckily he automatically did that.

We did a lot of sharing. We shared a few salads – all mozzarella-esque with tomatoes and deliciousness. it was extremely fresh. Everything in the restaurant is either made fresh there (including their pastas) or organically grown. We had four different pastas. The gnocchi with pesto and gorgonzola was a bit disappointing. No, I’m not a fan of gorgonzola but everyone agreed it was the least delicious dish of the meal. The rest of the pastas were delicious and flavorful and none had an overbearing amount of cheese. I was very impressed.

Not sure how much the bill was because luckily I didn’t pay – but it was a really delicious meal and if you have any reason to go to the Seaport, check this place out!

Acqua at Peck Slip
21 Peck Slip

Irving is my favorite street in New York City. One day, when I grow up and own my own business and all – I hope I can afford to live in a nice apartment on Irving. That’s a dream that would be lovely if it came true.

Irving is also the home to Pete’s Tavern – one of the oldest bars in the city. I’ve walked by plenty of times, had drinks there but never thought I’d eat there. It just didn’t seem like it was worth it until I was convinced otherwise. “They have great chicken parm” I was told. Meant nothing to me – I’m a veggie but let’s check out the eggplant parm. If you’ve read my past posts, you know I’m constantly on the hunt for good eggplant parm and Beppe really won my heart.

Sat outside, with amazing people watching. Nicest waiter ever. So friendly and helpful and just accommodating. I ordered the eggplant parm with a side of angel hair (sauce on side) and a side of steamed broccoli with garlic. People watching galore, and my food arrived and looked delicious. It also tasted delicious. Not mushy or chewy eggplant and the perfect amount of sauce/cheese. The angel hair was el-dente and they listened to my “sauce on the side” request. Broccoli was steamed, fresh and perfectly seasoned with garlic.

Between the tasty food, wonderful waiter, manager coming by to see how we were doing and the lovely location & people watching – I was impressed. Seeing as it’s been around many years, hopefully they’ll stick around until I can afford to live on Irving and become a regular there.

Pete’s Tavern
129 East 18th Street

It’s hard to believe this used to be a bodega. A sketchy bodega to say the least. So when Bluebell Cafe opened up, I took many double takes to determine if I should check this place out. It was hot and sticky outside and all I wanted was a delicious cold iced tea. Our very nice waitress came over and took our drink order and told us the specials. The second she said “watermelon” included in a salad, I made it clear we definitely needed that. I love fruit in salad. She brought out the salad and it was sooo delicious. So refreshing on a hot day.

For a main course, I had the veggie sandwich without mushroom and extra pesto. It was delicious and not too cheesy or anything. I wish it came on the french bread that the caesar sandwich came on – that was more exciting looking. The veggie sandwich came on basic bread, and I wasn’t into the crust. It was very tasty though – as were the fries it came with.

Our waitress was really sweet and provided great service (including refilling the iced tea clearly knowing how parched we were). Cute ambiance – similar to Penelope, as it was very homey. I hope to become a regular at Bluebell.

Bluebell Cafe
293 Third Ave

I had no idea where we were going but was starving and looking forward to a good meal. I was surprised when I walked in that there was a side dining room as well as a back patio. We were seated at the corner back table – there were two heaters in the room but of course I was in the coldest corner (I usually can tolerate cold, but not that night…) They didn’t have diet coke – only diet pepsi. They had 6 chairs but not 6 sets of utensils/dishes/menus on the table.

Our waiter seemed nice but that didn’t last long. I shared a side of broccoli with garlic and oil which was really tasty but a bit too greasy. Then I shared the eggplant parm that came with a side of spaghetti (I substituted with angel hair) and a salad (I substituted for a caeser salad). The salad was overloaded with croutons but otherwise good. The angel hair was doused in marina sauce – honestly more sauce than pasta. The eggplant parm was just not good. Too thick, too saucy, too cheesy and overcooked and mushy. I was completely unsatisfied considering I barely ate all day and was really looking forward to this meal.

The waiter forgot to put in one of the orders of food and stumbled on his words when we asked what happened. He really didn’t know what to say and refused to fess up. The food came out and was THE largest portion of pasta I’ve ever seen. The whole meal was like family style subpar food plopped on plates that was overpriced, well, because we’re in the Hamptons so of course they can jack up their prices. NEVER again.

La Parmigiana Italian Restaurant
Southampton, not worth knowing the address.