Monday, May 17, 2010

Lovely Day

Lovely Day, a chic little spot in nolita, reopened this year after a fire shut them down for a while. I stopped at the bar for a snack of ginger fried chicken nuggets. They were a little dry, but the creamy aoli made up for it.

The coconut curry noodle was great - milky and spicy at the same time, with thick noodles and sprinkled with red peppers.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

L'asso

I'm completely enthralled with the L'asso, a thin-crust pizza and Italian restaurant a few steps from my door in Nolita.

The creamy artichoke dip is spiced up with jalapeno for a kick.

The homemade meatballs are juicy and have tons of flavor in tomato sauce.

The pizzas come in strips, like this one that was split between the Dante, a great combo of capocollo, red and green peppers and basil, and the Mela, with apple, asparagus, Gorgonzola and truffle oil.

My favorite was the fragrant albondiga, with basil, onions and homemade meatballs.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Jean Claude

I can't believe I've been walking past Jean Claude for years and just recently stopped in. It's a gem of a French restaurant, with unusually pretty plates. The roasted codfish was excellent over a bed of potato basil puree and bell pepper sauce.

The shrimp ravioli appetizer was also a nice surprise - light and fresh in a herb sauce.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Blue Marble

After a slightly disappointing trip to the cherry blossom-less Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, I was cheered up to find the adorable Blue Marble ice cream shop a few blocks away.

The creamsicle flavor transported me back to childhood with an exact replica of the creamy orange flavor. I also tried the conscientious chip, creamy with chunks of chocolate. Happily, they'll be at the Brooklyn Flea all summer.