Easter Weekend Eats

Hopefully everyone enjoyed a very lovely Passover and Easter Holiday!

I'm a fan of the food involved with each holiday and do my best to take full advantage.  Although I have no record of my digestive involvement, I assure you it was delicious!

I had a really lovely weekend, and enjoyed a number of tasty delights with Mel, Adam and my MOMMIE!  She is a miraculous woman who appreciates food as much as I do.  She also happens to come from a long line of incredible cooks - so I do my best to watch her cook.  She's one of those natural cooks that doesn't really measure... so its particularly difficult to figure out what she's doing and replicate.  Anyhoo, here's the food...

To start, I had brunch twice this weekend with Mel.  She has the whole weekend off, so we took full advantage!  After some Total Body Conditioning (I'm gonna have me some sexy legs and arms this summer), we headed over to The Bedford for brunch.  Unfortunately, their menu wasn't so good for me this time, with lots of cheese in everything.  Mel, being the good sister and understanding my dilemma, encouraged me to go elsewhere for brunch.  I felt terrible getting up and leaving, but they had a very limited selection and I didn't want a single thing on their menu.
We went to Cafe Colette instead and had a deliciously good time!

Cafe Colette (please note that their menu is not updated fully on their website)

We were fortunate to get a table right away.  This place is usually busy for brunch, but the weather was terrible, so that played in our favor.  Mel comes here all the time and rightfully so since its fantastic.

They had a lot of interesting options on their menu, most of which sounded like the healthier version of common brunch dishes.  There were two poached egg dishes to choose from, so I went with the spicier variation, even though the other sounded just as good!


This dish came with two perfectly poached eggs laying neatly atop pureed chickpeas and braised kale.  The bread was a type of sourdough that had a bit of kick to it.  Not sure what it was, but it was delicious.

The dish was a little spicy, but nothing too crazy.  It was delicious, not greasy at all.  I loved every bite.

I would definitely order this again, but will probably try the other poached egg dish since it looked fantastic (person next to me ordered it and I pretty much salivated all over him)


I thought that I needed something a little unhealthy to even my meal out, so I went with their homemade sage sausage patties.  Wow those were good.

They were perfectly grilled and juicy.  I definitely recommend these if you want a side of meat.  It's a shame Mel doesn't really eat meat, because she totally missed out on these.

Oh well, more for me!





Mel ordered one of the sweet crepes on their menu.  I love crepes, but most have filling that will make my body cry out in pain.

I definitely had a taste of these though, so I can honestly say they were incredibly delicious.

These are creme fraiche, honey and walnut cremes.  I guess Mel went the opposite with me and thought these were too unhealthy, so ordered a healthy side...

Here's the happy half grapefruit that we both enjoyed during our meal.

Grapefruits are quite possibly one of the most challenging and messy fruits to eat with a spoon.  This thing was splashing all over the place.

I ate one almost every day for breakfast, so I'm starting to get the hang of it, but its still a splash-fest!

So overall, the meal was really lovely.  Staff was nice and quick to serve.  The food was fresh and flavorful.  Great option if you want a healthier brunch - definitely going to come back in the next couple of weeks to check out that other poached egg dish.

After Adam was done with work in the late afternoon, we decided on our activities for Saturday night... which involved going into the city and enjoying some delicious imported beer.  Adam is a serious beer connoisseur, so we venture to really great bars that offer a wide variety of excellent beer.

But first, we needed to eat something so that the beer didn't kill us.  I opted for something a little healthier (shocked, aren't you!) and went to Dojo near NYU.

Dojo Restaurant

I've actually been coming here for so many years.  I think as long as 10 years if that's possible.  It was and still is a really affordable restaurant with a wide range of tasty items.  It was particularly convenient when I knew friends attending NYU, since it was right near them.

Dojo is still a great place to hit up if you're in the area.  I was shocked to learn I'd never taken Adam here, so it was a totally new experience for him.

It was particularly dead on a Saturday night.  Usually this place is buzzing with activity, but I guess the weather and holiday weekend made the city less lively.


I usually ordered the same dishes here.  Their fried chicken cutlet with Japanese BBQ sauce is always a winner.  I also like their grilled chicken salad.

The other dish I'll order here is their Salmon Teriyaki - which is not only delicious, but surprisingly inexpensive for what you get.

This dish used to be about $8.95, and keeps going up every time I go back. I know times are tough and food prices are increasing.  This time, the dinner was $12.95 - but I still think its a good deal.
You get a large piece of fish, that's always cooked perfectly with a nice portion of steamed vegetables and brown rice.  Talk about a healthy dinner!  Sure the glaze isn't that healthy, but I end up scrapping it aside anyway.  The veggies are always crisp and fresh.

Each dinner entree also comes with a lovely little side salad with the greatest carrot ginger dressing I've ever had.  I can practically eat this dressing with a spoon - believe me, I have.
The salad is a lot bigger than this - I was just so hungry that I forgot to take a photo while it was a full bowl.


Adam ordered the Grilled Salmon Steak with ginger dressing.  Our waitress was helpful and allowed Adam to swap out his broccoli for cauliflower.

He was a little sad that mine was better, but his was far healthier and he was saving himself for the tasty beer ahead.

We both enjoyed our salmon and agreed that although the price wasn't what it used to be, it was still worth it.  We'll definitely be back!  Also try their fried calamari, which comes with this amazing sweet and sour tarter sauce.  Their cold sesame noodles are also yummy!

The following morning, Mel and I met up for brunch at Brooklyn Label - which I've highlighted before, so I'll go through this quickly.  I had a ScoutMob, so it made brunch a super affordable treat.




I was craving their Borderline Benedict, which is always a winner here.  The bluecorn muffin was tasty, their chorizo was good, but perhaps a little under done.  Although sometimes they burnt it, so I'd rather it this way than burnt!

The eggs were cooked perfectly - my only complaint was not enough hollandaise sause, although this was probably best for me.

Also their hash browns are probably the best I've had anywhere.  It's always amazing and worth getting.

Mel was indecisive and ordered their special eggs benedict that had a cheddar biscuit with pastrami, but she swapped out the pastrami for smoked salmon.

She liked the dish, but wasn't all that impressed.  She had a lot of trouble cutting the biscuit that looked more like a slice of bread.  Oh well - what can you do.

At least I enjoyed brunch?

We then ventured into the city to meet up with Mama Maria (our mom).  It was Easter after all, and so we took her out for a movie and dinner.  We enjoyed The Good Life playing at the Tribeca Film Festival (definitely check out that movie, it was great), and then went to a nearby restaurant that sounded appetizing online.

Westville Restaurant - Chelsea

I called before heading over and they reported that business was slow so it was a good time to go and get a table.  Rumor is that they get busy and since they don't take reservations you need to wait outside - something I didn't want to make my mom do.

The place was really  pleasant with helpful staff and an extensive menu.  They feature plenty of market fresh sides, I counted at least 15 of them.


Mama Maria is very particular about her food.  She has a very severe cheese allergy, so we always have to be careful about the dishes that she orders.

She also hates sauces, so the grilled salmon (minus the sauce that they featured on their menu) was best for her.  It came with her choice of side and mixed greens.  She chose the lemon grilled asparagus, which was delicious.  It was beautifully cooked and she enjoyed it a great deal.



Mel wasn't feeling particularly hungry and went with two market fresh sides, which cost $5 each.

We were all very surprised with how large they were and Mel ended up with a hefty doggie bag.

She chose the roasted beets with goat cheese and the roasted fennel with Parmesan cheese. Both looked nice, but I'm a fan of neither.  I did try the beets and I guess they were okay.  I don't care for beets.  They kind of freak me out actually.

I'm also not a fan of fennel.  I hate that liquorish flavor and so don't care for fennel at all.

Mel enjoyed both very much.  They looked good, but the cheese sprinkled on top was really my final straw - so Mel got to eat in peace without me pestering her for another bite.

My dish, however, was truly amazing and would gladly come back to have it again.  I was initially going to get the roasted trout with pears, avocados and other tasty items.  The waitress mentioned it was a very light tasting meal, which could have been good had I not been so hungry.

She recommended the Macadamia nut encrusted tilapia with coconut rice, mixed veggies and a small salad.  It didn't sound very good, but she said it was really tasty.  So I thought "what the hell, I'll get it" and I couldn't have been happier with the recommendation.


I was surprised to discover that there was a sauce with my dish.  That was my main worry - it being too dry.  Fish and rice can be so dry together, but this was perfection.

The fish was large, flakey and delicious.  Roasted macadamia nuts were sprinkled throughout and added a tasty crunch.

The sauce was sweet and creamy, adding a light macadamia nut flavor to everything.  The fluffy coconut rice was hiding under the fillet with little morsels of vegetables hidden throughout the rice.  Every bite was heaven!  I barely had room for dessert, barely.


Mel and I were hoping to get the strawberry rhubarb pie, but Mama Maria had her heart set on the special Chocolate Pecan Pie.  The only reason I ordered this was because my mom wanted it, but it was sinfully delicious.

It was made with cane syrup instead of corn syrup, or so claimed the waitress.  It was oogey-googey goodness with a prefect crust and a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.  I tried not to eat too much, which was good cause my mom finished everything without issue.  Nothing like something a little sweet after a perfect dinner.

Overall, Westville Restaurant was nice, offering fresh food and a lovely atmosphere.  The food was a bit pricy, but it was good quality.  I would come back to try some of their cheaper fare, like the hamburgers, which looked really good.

Well it was a long tasty weekend, not back to reality and my diet.  ::sigh::

Badass Burgers

I caved...  I knew it had to happen eventually.  I officially went 18 days straight with my diet, which meant that I only ate healthy options and watched every calorie I put in my body.  It SUCKED!

Although I feel pretty good and I dropped a few pounds (probably water weight, whatever that means).  Do you know how hard it is going every day without enjoying the one thing I live for - good food.  That's not to say that I didn't enjoy good food that also happened to be good for me.

Okay, so maybe I cheated a little with my Eggs Benedict, but I always ate a light dinner and ensured that I was only eating within my caloric limit for the day and I exercise (does walking count?)

I had a long day yesterday and I was to redeem myself at the Brokelyn Country Club Spring Gala hosted at Public Assembly.  It sounded like a lot of fun with an open bar, lots of prizes and some fun music to dance to (see I would have exercised!).  But when my lovely friend Breonna, sister Mel and I showed up 15 minutes after the doors opened, the line was down the block.  Frack this shit, I'm not waiting in the cold to eat some street truck tacos and fight my way to the free open bar.

We wandered around in desperation for some tasty delight to brighten our gloomy disposition. Then we decided that Manhattan Inn was the solution to this horrid situation.  We were obviously really hangry and tired from work.

So off to the Manhattan Inn we went!  Please don't think I eat the same thing over and over again, because I don't.  We were restricted by the time, since lots of the places we could have eaten close early in Greenpoint, like the Polish restaurants.   We also didn't want to spend a ton of money, or we would have ventured to The Bedford or Cafe Colette.  Initially we tried to get into Teddy's but they were packed.  So Manhattan Inn it was and it was fabulous.

At night, the Manhattan Inn is a little romantic with dim lighting and the fabulous piano player serenading patrons with fun jazzy type music.  I like to refer to this music as "old-timey" because I'm not all that smart when it comes to music genres.

After being seated promptly in the back at a lovely four person table, we reviewed the menu and quickly decided on dinner.  We were starving and delirious at the thought of eating good wholesome food.  Breonna and I went for the burger, which sounded really good and Mel went the healthier route with their fresh pasta.

The burgers came out first, after about 10 to 15 minutes of waiting.  Our server apologized for the pasta's delay, which was thoughtful.

They were served on wooden cutting boards with the burger on one side, a wooden bowl with taro chips on the other side and two porcelain spoons, containing spicy mayo and pickle chips.  It was adorable!


Breonna loves her cheese, and had far better lighting near her burger, so her's looks a heck of a lot better, to the right.





Here's a full description of the dish:
Manhattan Inn Burger, with Aged Cheddar & Braised Bacon on a Brioche Bun
Served w/ Homemade Taro Chips & Spicy Mayo ($14)

It was FANTASTIC!!! 


I ordered mine without the cheese, for fear of death.  Both burgers looked incredible, but they tasted even better than they look - trust me.

They were cooked perfectly, with Breonna's a little more rare than mine, per her specifications.  I like mine medium, just a little pink the middle.  It was really done perfectly and it was definitely good quality meat.  It was juicy and overflowing with flavor.

You could taste a hint of bacon and the alfafa sprouts and grilled tomato were a lovely touch.  The brioche bun was slightly toasted and held the burger well.  It was soft and butter and soaked up all the juiciness.

It was pure HEAVEN!!!

The taro chips were tasty too.  They weren't as starchy as potato chips, but has a nice crunch to them.  The spicy mayo went well with both the burger and the chips.  Breonna didn't like the pickles, they were somewhere between sweet, dill and sour.  I liked them and thought they were a nice touch to the entire meal.  I ate every single bite!

Mel ordered the Fresh Pasta
w/ Wild Mushroom, Grape Tomato Confit, Artichoke Puree, Fried Capers, Parmesan, Sunny Side Up Egg ($17) you could also order it vegan, without the egg and cheese for a dollar less. 

It was a really vibrant dish, although I couldn't try it due to the cheese shavings.  It looked gorgeous though and Mel loved it.  The egg yolk spread throughout the dish and gave it this creaminess that enhanced the cheese and fresh veggies.  The noodles were a little difficult to handle since they were long and wide.  I might try this next time with the cheese.  It smelled so good and I love all the fun veggies that it comes with.  It's nice that they make the pasta in-house, so it must be so delicious.  Mel couldn't finish the dish and even Breonna had a taste.  A mighty meal to satisfy even the largest of appetites - so if you're hungry, try this one!

Overall it was a lovely, wonderful meal.  I know a lot of people complain that the atmosphere is the only reason to come here and the food isn't that good, but I beg to differ.  As time goes on, the service and the food is getting better and better.  In the past, my only complaint was that the food wasn't always as piping hot as I would like it - but the last few times have been perfectly fine.  

I love the Manhattan Inn and recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone looking for good food and a nice, relaxing time.  The music is great, the decor is adorable and service is impeccable.

Nothing is Better than Brunch

BRUNCH!!!  It is my absolute favorite meal.  There is something so satisfying about combining the sweet and the savory while breaking your fast.  It is the greatest meal ever and I will stick to that statement.

I'm not even kidding when I say that I'll go with 2 hours sleep, entirely hung over and without showering if someone text/calls me on a Saturday or Sunday asking me to go to brunch.  Rain or shine, I will venture anywhere reasonable to enjoy delicious, succulent BRUNCH!!  I am that dedicated to my favorite meal.

I've been fortunate enough to have brunch buddies lately to enjoy this meal with.  It doesn't always work out that I have someone to go with and I'm not ready yet to go alone, yet is the keyword here.  That might change this summer, but we shall see.

My sister, Mel, recently changed her work schedule (she's an amazing hair stylist!) and now has Saturdays off.  Horray for me because she loves brunch too!  I mean, we're sisters, we should both love brunch.

The other weekend we woke up early and walked over together to The Manhattan Inn on, you guessed it, Manhattan Ave right near Nassau Ave in Greenpoint.  I was in a very happy mood considering I only had 4 hours of sleep with even fewer the night before and I was sufficiently dehydrated from too many delicious wheat beers the night before.  But I was going to brunch and we had a reservation, which meant awesome food in my belly stat.

The Manhattan Inn

Organic Steak & Eggs w/ baked beans + hash browns

I'm a huge fan of this recent addition to my hood.  Not only is it adorable, cozy and welcoming, I also heard through the grapevine that most of their materials were salvaged from one of my fabulous clients, BIG!NYC. 

It was fairly empty at noon on a Saturday, so we got our pick of seats, right in the front near the open window.  It was such a gorgeous day out and took in all the sunshine we could handle.  We eventually had to close the window due to the wind, but it was nice for a while.

The staff was very nice about us taking so long to order.  Our party was VERY late, so Mel and I patiently sipped our drinks and re-read the menu over and over again.  I was salivating over some steak, which is just what I ordered.  It's not all that easy to find organic steak, so I knew it would be a special treat.  Even Mel ordered the steak and eggs!  She rarely eats red meat, and in fact hadn't since her trip to Buenos Aires in January.  Lucky girl, I know.  


Here's a close up of my meal.  The eggs are from free range chickens, which explains why the yolks were so bright orange and tasty.  The beans were good too - although I didn't really feel like eating a ton of beans for fear of the windy situation that might result.

The steak was AMAZING!  It was such a hearty portion of steak that was cooked to perfection.  I rarely leave steak on my plate, but I just couldn't finish it all.

The hash browns (in the middle of the two dishes above) were SO CUTE and tasty.  They were like giant homemade tater tots.  The spicy mayo sauce that it came with was also very good.

The Mighty Lumberjack

Our friend, Riona, couldn't decide what to order, so it was wise of her to get The Lumberjack, which offers a taste of everything.

This was the first dish I ever ordered at The Manhattan Inn, and loved every bite.  I can't really eat the grits since they have dairy and a sprinkle of cheese, but they're great.  The bacon and keilbasa are also tasty.

It is a might meal that few can handle - Riona happens to be one of them, which is why we think she's so freaking rad!

Definitely recommend this dish if you are indecisive... you really can't go wrong with a bit of everything that's delicious.  Look how cute that hash brown is... don't you just want to eat it up?!  Why yes, yes I do.





One of the lovely ladies that accompanied us, Zanab, wasn't very hungry.  She ordered the Baguette with butter and jam, which looked absolutely lovely.

She seemed to enjoy every bite and helped us eat some of our food - which was a good thing because we over ordered.

Mel ordered an extra side of grits, which was not conquered.  I was trying to pawn off some of steak too... this was a might brunch that left us stuffed!!!

What's nice about the Manhattan Inn is that they have a live piano player in the back!  That's right, you get to listen to fun music while eating amazing food.  The back is also really cute, with a giant skylight and you sit in these theater-type chairs.  Love it here!

Also important to note that they have a great happy hour here and dinner is really nice too.  Loved their hanger steak with mashed potatoes... yum!

This past Saturday, I met up with my lovely friend, Chiara, for a late brunch before heading to a Red Bulls soccer game.  My go-to place in the city for a late brunch is Essex.  They have brunch till 4:30pm on Saturday and 8pm on Sunday.  I know, its ridiculous.

Essex Restaurant

I have a love/hate relationship with Essex.  For years now, I've been coming here and almost have a reasonably good time.  Brunch is always a good deal due to the 3 drinks that comes with the special for $20.  You get either 3 mimosas, bloody marys or screw drivers.  The thing is, they don't count.  They refill your glasses from pitchers (the mimosas anyway), so your guaranteed to get your fill of booze while eating some pretty decent food.

The problem I have with Essex is the crowd and noise.  It's a zoo here, especially downstairs when you first enter.  You have to fight your way through really annoying groups, people who, like you, desperately need some hair of the dog as much as you do.  The hosts are usually pissed off because they're dealing with all this chaotic bullshit, so you end up waiting a year and a day for a table that you pray is upstairs away from the insanity.  Even with a reservation, and yes you can book a table on opentable for even two people (which I highly recommend), you will wait at least 30 minutes. 

However, once you do sit down, the staff here is usually fantastic and very sympathetic to the ordeal you just experienced to be sitting there in the first place.  Honestly, sometimes my server is so nice that I end up getting a little too tipsy and make very stupid decisions... i.e. I woke up the next day with a tattoo on my shoulder.  WTF was I thinking?  So be careful.  :)

Chiara and I were very distracted once seated by what the women next to use were eating.  It looked so good!  Perhaps we were that hungry... but Chiara just had to order it as well.

It was the Mexican Matzo Brei with was essentially scrambled eggs
with tortilla crisps, avocado, black beans & pico de gallo.  She went for the spicy chorizo as well, which was slightly disappointing since it was just a bit of chopped sausage on top and it cost and extra $3.  Total rip off if you ask me.  She enjoyed the meal and practically licked her plate clean (okay, not really, but it was pretty damn clean).  I took a taste and thought it was nice and light with a lovely crunch from the fresh veggies.

Guess what I had... yup, that's right, the Eggs Benedict.  God, I've become so predictable.  ::sigh::


It wasn't just ANY eggs benedict, it was the Crabcake Benedict, which the waitress explained was her favorite.  I thought "SOLD!" and couldn't wait to dig in.

It was really tasty!  Not the best I've had, but definitely a delicious brunch.  I actually expected the crabcake to be the starch portion of the dish, but there was still that damn english muffin there.  Honestly, it was a small crabcake, but still very tasty.  The eggs were cooked perfectly and the hollandaise was thick and delicious.  The home fries were also really tasty with a bit of spice from who knows what, perhaps paprika?  I ate most of the meal and enjoyed glass after glass of mimosa.  What's nice here is that the mimosas aren't too watery, they actually taste of sparkling wine and orange juice.

Since it took so long to get seated and they were already starting to clean up by the time our food came out, we were a little rushed to finish and move along.  Our waitress was SUPER nice though and gave us two drink tickets each to enjoy more free drinks at the bar.  I thought this was a nice extra touch and even saved a ticket to enjoy next time. Hopefully that works out.

So, yeah, this was brunch at Essex.  The food is good, the drinks are great, but watch out for the wait.  It's a nightmare dealing with the wait and the crowds, but its a good place to get your drink on for brunch at a great price.  Again, make reservations if you can and perhaps have some caffeine before taking it on.