dope food-dolce e bella

go to la lanterna on macdougal off of washington square park south. order the tiramisu and a hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipped cream......yes, even in the summer. you'll thank me later.

dope food-this little piggy went to market......

soooo, spotted pig. pretty well known restaurant/pub. i guess it's technically considered a gastropub [whatever the heck that means...too lazy to google]. it's in the west village. jay-z is a part owner. it's super trendy, fairly small, dimly lit, and very noisy. it's very fun, particularly with large parties [but you gotta have a reservation for that]. this place is basically always crowded with beautiful people, glittering famed ones, and the pseudo a-listers, spending lots of paper and hip by default. there's a nice dichotomy, though, because it's also a very laid back establishment.

as far as my memory serves me, they only take cash so make sure to go to an atm before you settle in for a drink or some food.

so i know i said that the BEST fries were at pommes frites. still true....however, i'd like to give a tip of the hat to the shoestring fries that they serve up at the spotted pig. really long, super thin fries. and LOTS of them. they are sooooo tasty--albeit a little bit salty.

another dish i'd recommend is the sheep's ricotta gnudi with brown butter & sage. it's pretty good. but again, kinda heavy on the salt.

i can't give my personal opinion on it cause i don't eat red meat but they're known for their chargrilled burger. so i'd definitely give that a try.

overall i'd say go here if you are looking for a scene, not if you're looking to be well-fed or to make your stomach blissfully satisfied. otherwise, skip it and go to cowgirl hall of fame for a good burger and some real food [i'll post on this restaurant at some point soon].

i'm not even posting a link. go find it yourself

dope food-spice market

so i'm a wacktress part time. at this trendy restaurant under chef jean georges [dude's really famous, wikipedia him]. it's called spice market. it's in the meatpacking district. i worked their about a year ago for 6 months. i'm back there on weekends for the summer cause ejf is not enough money.

i'm on my break right now [i'm a double shift today], so i thought i'd write a little bit about the restaurant.

gotta give it up to them for the decor. this guy jaques garcia was the designer [i believe]; he's pretty prominent in his line of work. it's really quite a show to dine inside this restaurant. i can't even describe it for you because i wouldn't do it justice. the server uniforms are also pretty dope if you happen to be a customer [and not a server, or at least not a female server]. we have the privilege of wearing backless aprons with pants. that's not the best description but it pretty much sums it up.

the cuisine is a southeast asian blend. i've never been a huge fan of the food but last night i had the striped bass. it was pretty dope. not gonna lie. REALLY spicy...and i love spice. it's got wok fried napa cabbage, waterchestnut and cucumber.

i would also say go for the spiced chicken samosas. maybe the best thing on the menu [in my opinion]. the black pepper shrimp is pretty tasty too, although some customers have described it as too salty [not sure that i agree with them....and i'm not generally a fan of the salt].

hands down, their desserts are the best part of the meal. you can't go wrong with a single one [i mean i guess don't order the fruit basket....as far as fruit baskets go it's awesome, but in general i'd say they are pretty boring].

there's awesome specialty cocktails at the bar. i'd recommend the pineapple mojito [it's a seasonal drink, interchanged with a kumquat mojito]. people also rave about the ginger margarita.

ps i just looked through the official employee manual which says that spice market "may monitor" employee blogs. i hope everything i said was pc....

whatever you order i can guarantee you will enjoy dining at this restaurant.

http://www.spicemarketnewyork.com/index.cfm

dope food-like fries?

so i'm not much of a french fries girl BUT hands down the illest fries in the world are at pommes frites. some people might argue pastis but i'm gonna put my foot down on this one. pommes frites is on 2nd and 7th streetish [not sure the exact cross street just walk down 2nd ave]. anyways, it's been around for as long as i can remember. it's dope. the fries are twice fried so they're pretty crispy and very tasty. i would warn that they are slightly greasy. but that's never really a bad thing, is it?

in addition to the traditional ketchup topping, they have at least 25 others. i like the peanut satay [don't hate, it's delicious].

the sizes come in regular large and double. i kind of think the regular is large enough--and i like to eat. you might die if you consume an entire double order by yourself.

http://www.pommesfrites.ws/default.htm

enjoy!

dope food-italian style

next trip to nyc. good italian. go to lil' frankies. 1st and 1st.

took my boy PJ there for a belated birthday dinner [his request]. ill homemade gnocci, great pizza. chill atmosphere: young, interesting patrons. eclectic vibe; hipsters, pseudo intellectuals, lovey dovey couples. ran into mutual friend mg having dinner with her friends. service was alright [attentive but bordered on harassment]. good wine. beer selection was alright. prices are reasonable.

note: they don't take reservations and they only take cash.

http://www.lilfrankies.com/