An old-school Jewish delicatessen in Auckland, New Zealand? Unheard of! Until kiwi chef Al Brown created Federal Delicatessen. Next door to his other hugely successful restaurant, Depot Eatery & Oyster Bar, the ‘Fed’ will literally transport you to New York City. Having lived there myself for 3 years, I can attest to this. Al Brown…
Restaurants
Brunch at Fred’s
Fred’s is situated up a short alley-way at the corner of Ponsonby Road and Franklin Road, with a lovely courtyard but since it’s June and chilly, we opted to sit inside. When I walked in, I immediately felt like I was in a Brooklyn cafe, with the exposed brick and retro feel. Small and cozy, we…
Kimchi Pancake from Little Bird Unbakery
The other day I met up with a friend for lunch and she suggested going to Little Bird Unbakery in Ponsonby. Little Bird is known for its made-from-scratch, organic and mostly raw food. Their philosophy is that the food should not only taste amazing, but make you feel amazing as well. The focus at Little…
Buddakan NYC
The week before I came home to New Zealand for the holidays, my friend Haydee surprised me with a dinner at Buddakan. Ever since I moved to NYC three years ago, Buddakan had always been on my list of restaurants to try, but I never got the chance to go. The interior is dimly lit,…
Pretzel! The Concrete
It’s hard to believe that I’ve been living in New York City for almost 3 years. It’s even harder to believe that I’ve had Shake Shack’s burgers but have never tried their Concrete. Until tonight. I’m a huge peanut butter freak, and also a huge lover of marshmallow so when I read the description of…
Thomas Chen’s New Restaurant, Tuome.
One of my good friends is a huge pork fan, so when she heard about new restaurant Tuome offering a ‘Pig Out’ meal for two, we were there there in a shot. Tuome is Thomas Chen’s masterpiece, who previously worked at the fine-dining Eleven Madison Park. The restaurant itself is cozy, with exposed brick and…
The ‘Brunchy Meatloaf Burger’ from The Shady Lady
Yesterday I met with my friend who lives in Astoria and we wandered along 30th Avenue to see which restaurants looked good for brunch. We decided on The Shady Lady and got lucky with a table outside. If you’re anything like me, I get bored with all the standard brunch fare like eggs benedict. So…
Danny Meyer’s New Restaurant Marta
Restauranteur Danny Meyer (founder of Shake Shack & Union Square Cafe) is now taking on the pizza game, along with chef Nick Anderer (of Maialino), with the opening of their new restaurant ‘Marta’, inside the Martha Washington Hotel. I went there with a friend tonight for Sunday dinner, after spying a photo of the pizza…
Speciality Waffle Cones at Emack & Bolio’s
Emack & Bolio’s was formed in Boston in 1975 by Bob Rook, a music lawyer. Back then, the clubs closed at midnight so Bob rented a basement, bought a commercial ice cream machine and invited musicians to try his concoctions after their gigs. They would play acoustic music, eat ice cream and hang out until…
Seafood Pasta at Bianca
I had heard good things about Bianca, an Italian restaurant in NoHo. Word on the street is they make hearty, home-style Italian food that doesn’t come with a hefty price tag. So I was excited to try it out this past Sunday. My friend and I both got the same dish: Tagliolini ai Frutti di…