Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays, all!
Gingerbread cupcake from Little Cupcake Bakeshop.

Lani Kai

Lani Kai is one of the rare hip tiki bars that exist, but given that it's creator is also responsible for the amazing Flatiron Lounge and Clover Club, this shouldn't be a surprise. The excellent cocktails include the Last Luau, with white & aged rum, grilled pineapple, ginger syrup and lime juice; the Pacific Swizzle with white rum, rosehip, lemongrass and hibiscus tea; and the non-tiki New York Sour with whiskey, lemon and orange juice, red wine and topped with egg white.

The Queen's Park Swizzle is made with aged rum,mint, demerara, lime and bitters.

The food is great as well - we started with the Tuna Poke, a ahi tuna with chilies, sesame, macadamia nuts and cucumber on taro root chips.

The pork buns with pickled cucumbers and secret sauce were amazing; and the delicata squash tempura is a perfect bar snack.

For dessert, we tried the doughnuts served with a perfectly salty caramel dipping sauce.

Pulino's

At a recent dinner at Pulino's we started with the amazing cannellini bean bruschetta - a creamy mix of beans with braised greens topped with pecorino and served with thick bread drizzled with olive oil.

The coppa was incredible - thin slices of melt-in-your mouth pork.

The pizza is also great (as it should be) topped with house-made salami with a little spice and served with a spicy olive oil on the side.

Takahachi Bakery

One of my favorite sushi places launched a Japanese bakery in Tribeca - Takahachi Bakery. Stocked with baked goods like macarons and strawberry shortcake, there are many options of pan - like this delicious beef curry pan with a rich beef curry stew filling and a perfectly soft shell.

L'asso

The ultimate dessert: s'mores pizza from L'asso. A super thin, crunchy crust smothered with a thick layer of chocolate and topped with mounds of toasted mini marshmallows. Incredible.

1534

1534 is a new bar in Nolita where the French influenced drinks are serious, but the vibe is laid back. The drinks we tried - with lemongrass, lime, ginger, pisco & egg white; and vodka, pear, lime, and mint were perfect pre- or post-dinner cocktails.

Taim Mobile

How exciting after a day of braving the shopping masses in soho, to find Taim Mobile has just opened? Their falafel sandwich is delicious and surprisingly light even though it's stuffed with falafel, hummus, Israeli salad, pickled cabbage and tahini sauce. I topped mine with feta, pickles and spicy sauce for a little kick.

Happy Thanksgiving, Momofuku style

Happy Thanksgiving! I'll be continuing the celebration tomorrow with the Thanksgiving croissant. Thanks to Midtown Lunch for the tip.

Williamsburg takeout: La Nonna

The pizza from La Nonna in Williamsburg blew me away - the crisp is the perfect balance between thin, crispy and chewy and is deliciously seasoned with garlic and salt. This one was topped with proscuitto, arugula, mozzarella, parmiggiano reggiano and my favorite part, fresh tomatoes.

The artichoke and basil pizza was also great, topped with spicy salami and buffalo mozzarella.

Korilla BBQ

Finally, after a month of waiting and a couple near-misses, I was in the vicinity of the Korilla BBQ truck for lunch. The Korean-influenced tacos, burritos and bowls all looked amazing, but of course I went for the porkinator, a burrito with tender pulled pork, bacon kimchi fried rice (yes, fried rice with chunks of bacon and a bit of spice from the kimchi), monterey jack cheese, salsa, lettuce, spicy sauce and a kimchi cucumber. It was fantastic and Korilla, if you're reading, please head to Soho again soon!

Mary Queen of Scots

Dinner at Mary Queen of Scots is richly satisfying: the menu is a blend of French and Scottish influences, all executed with a comfort food sensibility. This duck cassoulet was one of my favorite dishes - creamy goodness with confit rabbit, sausage, beans and sourdough.

The toasted walnut salad was beautiful, with grilled apples, walnut vinaigrette and clava cheese, a stinky Scottish variety.

A crowd pleaser: devils on horseback, which are apple chutney stuffed dates, wrapped in bacon.

The wild mushroom toast appetizer is made with bacon topped with a fried egg.

The pork carbonara is huge, creamy and delicious with garlic confit, cherry tomatoes and topped with an egg.

The roast chicken has crispy skin and comes with a tasty burgundy reduction, baby carrots and oyster mushrooms.

The grilled scallops is an elegant dish, with chunks of bacon, parsnip puree, fried brussels sprout leaves and touches of dill.

Although meatless, the vegetable tart is wonderful with ratatouille veggies and cheese on a light, flaky base.

The steak comes with smashed potatoes and horseradish garlic butter, and although I didn't taste it, the person that ordered finished every bite.

On to the lovely desserts...they each had interesting and unexpected savory/sweet combos that worked surprisingly well. This sweet corn financier with cranberries was a big hit, and beautiful.

I loved this dish, with peanut butter filled chocolate sandwich cookies, honey ice cream and bourbon flambeed bananas.

The acorn squash cheesecake with maple and walnuts was just sweet enough and perfect for fall.

The apple tart was the most straightforward dessert topped with ice cream, a nice ending.

Babycakes biscuits

What better way to start the morning than with a doughy, vegan biscuit from Babycakes with a dollop of non-dairy cream and jam?

Hester Street Fair: season's close

Halloween was the last day of the Hester Street Fair for the season, and they ended on a high note with some great food vendors. We started with a fish-shaped taiyaki (Japanese pancake) stuffed with sausage and cheese from the Rook.

The smoked short rib and pork shoulder chili with hominy from Char No. 4 was great - I loved the soft, potato-like texture of the cooked hominy. They also had a great side of bourbon spiced peanuts that had a little kick.

On to the desserts: the fried pumpkin pie coated in sugar from Melt Bakery was heaven and I was thrilled to try one after they ran out at the Grubstreet Food Fest.

Wink & Flip made a great pumpkin cookie with icing that had the dense, moist texture of a scone.

They also had a tree of mini pumpkin cheesecakes.

Scratchbread had an interesting take on the sticky bun in their chai sticky roll.

They also made a decadent, cocoa-ey buttercream brownie.

Macaron Parlour has some really great flavors - Thai chili with peanuts and honey; candied bacon with maple cream cheese; s'mores; and pumpkin pie.

Cups of spiced apple cider and spicy hot chocolate (with a gorgeous square marshmallow) from La Newyorkina were a perfect ending.

Pumpkin: Pinkberry

You all know about my love of pumpkin, and now Pinkberry has pumpkin! It's great topped with graham crackers, cinnamon and whipped cream - like a health(ier) pumpkin pie.

Francois Payard Bakery

This doughnut from Francois Payard is perfect for a decadent breakfast, with vanilla custard and an orange blossom glaze.

Five Leaves

Brunch at Five Leaves in Williamsburg is great, especially on a sunny day. Most of the seating is outside, and it's perfect to take in some sun with a coffee and a delicious brunch. The ricotta pancakes are amazing - very thick and topped with honeycomb butter, strawberries, blueberries and banana.

I loved the egg sandwich - the eggs are cooked with sage and cheddar in between a panini.