Adam Sandler Santa Song

Jews love Christmas too!

Yummy Christmas Cocktail Recipes!

What's family time without someone getting hammered? Click above for an awesome list of Christmas influenced cocktails that you can make at home!

Click here for a list of places that are offering a special Menu!

also.. do grab an eggnog @ Rolf's before Christmas time is over, but ONLY if you can deal with 20something Murray Hill types. Otherwise, DON'T BOTHER.

Beware of the French Fry Fellon

I've never in my life witnessed/been part of the most bizarre behavior over food, much less FRENCH FRIES. My girlfriend Chrissy and I, checked out the Standard Grill for some cocktails to visit my other girlfriend Capri who works there.. Minding our own business at the bar, we receive these delicious fries while we wash them back with cocktails. Minutes later...these drunk guys who were hanging out behind us kept getting increasingly drunker, ESPECIALLY the french fry fellon. Having probably guessed that it's not like peanuts at a bar where everyone shares, he proceeds to ask me if he can have a fry. I, of course, hand him a fry to send him off. But the annoying weirdo didn't stop there. He asked AGAIN, and now this time I'm not as nice, so he backs up. A couple of minutes later I see a scary looking Middle Eastern man getting up from his seat and start attacking this dude all while screaming, "YOU STEAL MY FU**ING FRENCH FRY!". I start laughing and go "yea and he was trying to take mine too". BIG MISTAKE, I added fuel to the fire apparently because the guy yelled like tarzan and kept running after F to the 3rd power. Everyone got out alive, but moral of the story is- beware when ordering the fries at the Standard. They make people do crazy thigs!

The Night of the BEST

So this past night out, I started my night at Yerba Buena in the EV... although the food was good, only one thing stood out to me there and it was the ridiculously delicious flan with dulce de leche and apricots... I swear I grew up eating flan for dessert and this is definetely the best flan if ever had in NYC. *Slurp*... p.s. order the fish tacos they're pretty sick, too!

Yerba Buena
2 locations...
23 Ave. A btwn houston and 2nd...or...1 Perry St. (Greenwich Ave.)
www.ybnyc.com



Sorry Mayahuel, but I know someone else with better popcorn than you...Maybe I'm biased because I'm a truffle whore but Desnuda takes the prize for the best popcorn in NY.. Upon arriving at this teeny tiny bar, that's easy to miss if you're just strolling up 7th street, they place complimentary popcorn in your face. They also serve oysters and ceviche that is prepared behind the bar. However, this is a wine and champagne only bar which is too bad because if they had the option to serve alcohol, I feel that this place would've been better than PDT. Unfortunately, the rule is no liquor can be served within 200 feet of a church which is located perhaps a mere 100 feet away from Desnuda. Also, what's up with the name? Naked girl in spanish? I mean I guess if you wine up your date here it could go there.. But I personally think it's cheesy. Either way, do check it out :)!

122 E. Seventh St. btwn 1st and Ave. A
212-254-3515.. www.desnudanyc.com

BOTTLE TOPS

LOL.. AS SILLY AS THEY ARE, I KINDA LIKE THEM.. I'M NOT HICK OR A BUM SO I DON'T DRINK BEER OUT OF CANS BUT NEEDLESS TO SAY, THEY DO PRESERVE THE BEER AND CAN PREVENT SPILLING. JUST THOUGHT I'D LET YOU IN ON A FUNNY GADGET THAT'S NOW IN THE MARKET. CHEERS!

Kanoyama

If you can afford to indulge on some amazing fresh fish PLEASE go to Kanoyama. This quiant and lovely Japanese restaurant definetely delivered on an original menu, great service and super fresh sushi. The oyster selection of the day were delicious and all very distinct from one another. I personally loved the Skinny Creek from Maine, but if you like saltier Oysters, I would order the Island Creek from Massachusetts... The cremier and more condensed option is the Kumamoto from Washington. The Chef's app selection (second picture) is only $10 which is reasonable, but if you're not adventurous with food- you should stick to what you know. We received black cod eggs (left), orange clam (middle), and monkfish liver (right). All were well prepared and surprisingly very tasty! We also ordered several rolls and a lobster & watercress salad with ponzu.. sooo good! I'm excited to have eaten here and if you like to try crazy sushi, this place is a MUST GO. It might be my new fav sushi spot in NY. And trust me, I've been to plenty. Itadakimas!!! That's Japanese for bon apetit ;).

Kanoyama
175 second Ave. (corner of 11th)
212-777-5266
www.kanoyama.com

Adventures with Spidey

The man of mystery of the east village apparently stays up til the wee hours of the night too! Upon drunkingly exiting La Zarza Monday night, there he was! I was ecstatic to finally get a ride in the rickshaw! Yeehaa! Not only was it sooo much fun that I laughed so hard my stomach hurt, but he was super friendly and cool! My girlfriend Chrissy and I even sat down at Veselka and had some crumb cake with Spidey(his idea).. YUM! Pardon the bootleg cameraphone pictures! But hey when you're drunk, you just gotta wing it ;)

Rayuela

Ok so every now and then a blogger f***s up, right? Leaving my apartment without a camera is something I rarely do, but oh well! I was excited to check out this restaurant for I have a huge afinity for latin food. I'm also highly critical when it comes to anything south american due to my Colombian backround and having been exposed to authentic latin food my entire life. So I must say, my eyes lit up when they served us pan de yuca as our complimentary bread! I was sold. The bread was moist and scrumptous! Our sangria was unique, made from pomagranate liquor, blueberries, raspberries, and topped with prosecco. Very sexy drink! We then proceeded to order the hamachi ceviche (um can you say japanese?), tuna rellena (the only latin thing about that dish was the word rellena which means stuffed), jalea, which is basically fried seafood and this one I loved, and for an entree we shared the pato con arepa (duck with corn cake) which was yummy but very overpriced. Overall, the food was good but the asian flavors threw me off completely. The service was great but very polite for the lower east side. Almost too much for my liking. I'm all about a relaxed vibe and they were super proper for the neighborhood. It's not a fine dining restaurant, c'mon now! Altogether, I would return for drinks/apps or for a fun birthday. Decor was trendy and uplifting. I say Rayuela is a must try!

10 Downing

"Never eat more than you can lift"- Miss Piggy. That is the adorable quote found inside the menu at this trendy New American restaurant. The decor was warm and bright with walls covered in Modern Art and french doors surrounding which just indicates that this is a great restaurant for a weekend brunch. The best part of this spot is its prix fix dinner menu. For $25 each we had cauliflower soup, a flavorful beet salad, skate wing with fingerling potatoes and black truffle shavings, and lobster tail with broccoli rabe. For dessert we had a delicious gelato with chocolate sauce (amazing). It was one of the best deals I've ever seen considering the skate wing is $25 on its own! Which got me thinking, it's a good thing I even NOTICED there was a prix fix because our waiter definetly wasn't going to tell us! So overall, I would come back for an inexpensive and healthy meal with an abundance of flavors. I also highly recommend this place if you want to meet ur next sugar daddy.. Think Bar Pitti and Tao's crowd combined, and that's 10 Downing.

10 Downing
10 Downing st. (6th ave)
(212)255-0300
www.10downingnyc.com

That Guy That Does That Thing

www.youtube.com/nycfunrun

Meet the real life Spidey... I asked him how much he charges and he was like "whatever".. So maybe it's like The MET, give him what you think he deserves. Spidey shows off his skills below 14th st and can most often be seen on St.Mark's...So if you're in the mood to get spun like a web then give him a call or email him....

nycfunrun@yahoo.com
Shaun 786-448-7517

Bacaro NY

So I heard good things about this restaurant through a girlfriend of mine, Debra Goldstein who is a co-writer of the book "Flirtexting"..CHECK IT OUT! After consulting with the foodie bible, Zagat, I noticed Bacaro wasn't in there! Then I checked out the nightlife version, oddly enough Bacaro was listed. Needless to say, I checked it out figuring they'd have some appetizers that would probably satisfy my growling stomach. Upon arriving at this LES/Chinatown spot, I noticed the decor gave that rustic/sexy/old fashioned feel to it, which I loved! However..the crowd was kind of boring and uninspiring. In my opinion, part of the experience of going to a restaurant is people watching and what we found here was a very basic, midtown 9-5 types. Maybe because it was Saturday night, who knows. We ended up sitting at the bar because we didn't feel like waiting 15 minutes for a table. The bartender was super nice and insightful on the menu. I started with a tea to wake my sleepy ass up, then moved on to a maker's old fashioned which he should've strained into ice but oh well! We ordered baked razor clams, spaghetti and clams, and a steak with a side salad. The razor clams were good but surprisingly under seasoned and there were lemon seeds ALL over the plate! Don't these people know about lemon nets and strainers? Despite the few seeds I had to spit out, the steak more than made up for it. It was well seasoned, cooked to the right temperature and deliciously fatty! If you like lean meats, don't order this one. Overall, I want to return here. It's a great place to bring a guy/girl you're really into and want to show off your good restaurant choices! Prices are pretty reasonable too!

Bacaro
136 Division St. (between Ludlow & Orchard Sts.)
(212)941-506/ www.Bacrony.com

What's wrong with this Picture?!

Jesus in place of a vagina? Hmm... some may find it controversial, I find it genius.
I also dig the peaced out American flag.

peep it at MUD nyc. 307 east 9th st.

Popcorn and Tequila?! Sign me up!

Another amazing spot in the East Village has graced us with its presence! Mayahuel is a Mexican restaurant/lounge that has a unique "speak easy" vibe to it. The menu offers delicious cocktails made from tequila, mezcal and mexican beer. But go there with an empty stomach for we hear the food is excellent as well.

Mayahuel
304 E 6th st.
(212)253-5888 (doesn't take reservations)
www.mayahuelny.com

Que Delicioso!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So there's very few restaurants that I frequent but if I'm craving some delicious, authentic cuban food there's only one place I go and that's Cafe Cortadito. When I first discovered this fantastic, moderately priced restaurant, it was B.Y.O.B. Now they offer strong sangria, wine and cervezas! This is a great date spot although it's not over the top romantic, as well as a great place to have a large birthday party due to its compact (usually held for large parties only) room in the back. I highly suggest this be a spot to check out if you just want to indulge in some tasty churrasco, ropa vieja, camarones, and my newly favorite dish there; rabo encendido (oxtail)!

Cafe Cortadito
210 E 3rd st. btwn ave B&C
(212)614-3080
www.CafeCortadito.com

Graffiti

Meet the most genuinely nice chef/owner in all of NYC at Graffiti, located on 10th between 1st and 2nd ave. Without reservations, Cyndi and I arrive at this busy and TINY (22 seats) restaurant with dim lighting and really random gadgets against the brick walls. Cyndi started with a prosecco lychee martini which basically was prosecco and lychee sorbett in a martini glass (ah-maz-ing) and I opted for a well-balanced Grenache.. We then shared pickeled ginger scallops, pork dumplings, graffiti burger with garlic figerling potatoes and chipotle mayo, and the green chilli shrimp wih a sprout salad. Chef Jehangir Mehta mixes indian flavors with contemporary American classics and the results are delicious. This is a great place to sample different flavor combinations and maybe even make friends with fellow foodies! We decided Graffiti is definetely not "first date" appropriate because if there's any ackward moments then everyone will know! My favorite part of the whole experience was when Chef Jahangir offered Cyndi a tissue after noticing she had the sniffles..Talk about service! We also loved the check presenter which was a plain white envelope covered in compliments and drawings by patrons.. We even made one up on our own! We say this is def a MUST GO in the east village!

The "H head" of 7th St. and Ave. A

We all know him down here, but even this is random for this poor junkie... Toilet paper, anyone?

Chikalicious Dessert Club

YUM comes to mind! Please make sure to satisfy your sweet tooth by checking out this little modern dessert joint located on 10th btwn 1st and 2nd! Jo and I tried the chocolate mousse cake and the apple tart (we asked for a vanilla a la mode).. The apple tart was one of the best we've ever eaten! And if you feel like REALLY indulging, check out its mother dessert bar across the street. It's much more about the experience than it is about the "quick fix".

Our East Village Adventures

So we thought we would start with the East Village considering it's Cyn's place of residence and because of its eclectic diversity. From little romantic hole in the wall restaurants, to hipster wannabe bars, whatever it is you're looking for..you can find it here. We decided to check out this highly praised newcomer restaurant called "Matilda", who is "cutely" enough named after the owner's daughter. The first thing that intrigued us to go was the whole "mexican and italian" fusion concept. Although it sounds interesting in theory, we weren't very impressed. Yes, it was definetely good and uniquely thought out food, but it lacked spice and that certain je ne sais quoi.. The guacamole included basil instead of cilatro (duh) and no jalapenos. Jo chose to order shrimp and monkfish tacos which included no italian element aside from the ever so clever guac with basil and a boring mixed salad with no dressing, which frankly is a HUGE pet peeve of ours. We must say, however, the tortilla was one of most autentic mexican flavors we've had in NY and where most tacos fall apart after the second bite, this one held up all the way through. Cyn opted for a soup who the waiter said had a "kick" but yet lacked salt, pepper, or any "kick" what so ever. Overall we did enjoy Matilda, even that watermelon sangria that they try to pass off as a margarita because their wine and beer only license doesn't allow the tequila! What a bummer! So in conclusion, we decided that if you're looking for a cheaper "sex and the city" type of night with your girlfrends in a pink and white setting, this would be an ideal spot. Just don't expect to get drunk off of the cocktails.

Matilda
647 E. 11th st. (bet. ave b & c)
(212)777-3355
www.matildarestaurant.com