Wikipages Blog

Ben and I met up with our friends Mairead and Tess at a place I’d heard good things about: The Smorgas Chef on Stone Street. This is my favorite part of the Financial District. A pedastrian street, old buildings, a good place to go out.

A tiny spot, The Smorgas Chef has a clean decor which Tess rightfully described as reminiscent of IKEA. Well, having always enjoyed my time in Ikea, I took that as a good sign. Mairead, who’s part Swedish, said many places in Sweden have similar decor. To which I immediately said to Ben, “We need to go to Sweden.”

The menu is a bit limiting for vegetarians, but there’s at least one vegetarian option. I, however, have recently started eating fish, so I went for the grilled salmon. There is a decent Prix Fix Menu of $30 for an entree with salad and desert. There’s also a good deal for Tuesdays where entrees are two for one. I forgot this until the end of the night when we were all happily surprised with a perfectly reasonable bill.

With delicious foods and Ikea atmosphere, this was definitely a good place to catch up with friends. I’ll be visiting it again in nice weather, when the restaurant has tables outside in the street.

I’m always on the look-out for good small businesses in my neighborhood, Astoria. So I was happy when a new store, Inside Astoria, opened not too ago.

An interior home design store, Inside Astoria has an assortment of lamps, tables, candles, hardcover books, and gifts. It has many beautiful things, much cheaper than you’d find in any similar store in Manhattan (though I wouldn’t say exactly cheap), we’ve bought a bamboo side table, a pretty engraving of a fern, and a pair of pearl earrings for my mother.

The store’s a great place to stop by, if you’re in the area and need a quick gift or new home decor.

My friend from California came into town last Friday and I wanted to take him somewhere with a great happy hour. I decided on a chic Lower East Side spot called Verlaine that serves $4 Martinis till 10pm, even on Saturdays!

Verlaine is located in the midst of the fun that is the Lower East Side. The bar is not far from Moby’s Teany, which hosted an awesome Move On bakesale in 2004 where I was served a cupcake by Jeanine Garofalo. The bar’s interior has an awesome red-tinted lighting, a chic/ vaguely artsy atmosphere, with ample seating at couches, tables and the bar. They have a food menu which focuses on Asian delights with ample vegetarian options. Their martini specialty is lychee martinis, fruity and delicious. At $4 each, you can drink three for the price of one usual Manhattan martini (though I wouldn’t recommend doing that too fast!) And if you get the lychee martini, make sure to eat the lychee. It’s delicious!

Verlaine is a good happy hour bet since it’s got a good vibe, good menu, cheap drinks, and normally seats available. Last Friday, we managed to grab enough tables and chairs to fit our party of eight. While my new friends met my old ones, I relaxed with my martini and reveled at the thought of the long weekend ahead. You really can’t get much better than good friends and good $4 martini.

Ben and I had a lovely Valentine’s Day right in Astoria. We decided to go out to one of our favorite restaurants for dinner: Mezzo Mezzo. It’s a tasty, slightly pricey Greek place not far from the subway.

While the weather was pretty brutal on Wednesday, it was warm and cozy inside the restaurant. Mezzo mezzo has a bit of an odd decor with carved wood and almost a cabin lodge feel. A contrast to the Mediterranean menu.

We sat upstairs, which is normally quieter, with a nice view of the street. There’s a fake fireplace, which still adds to the warm atmosphere despite the slight cheesiness. We ordered a selection of appetizers, as usual. Haloumi (grilled goat cheese), of course, Greek salad, a selection of dips and spreads, and sausage for Ben.

The food was delicious, as were the two glasses of Savignon Blanc I drank. All in all, a romantic Valentine’s Day.

I’m home sick today with a cold and a sore throat. The cruel weather and dry heat have worn me down. And when I’m sick, I take my mother’s advice. Drink lots of liquids and eat lots of soup. Though I don’t eat the chicken noodle soup I grew up with; I settle down with a nice bowl of Udon noodles from Kwang Noodle House.

Located in Astoria, Kwang is a tiny little noodle shop that opened a couple years ago. It’s run by a very friendly couple who by now know us as regulars. They serve delicious noodles, miso soup, sushi, bento boxes, and bubble milk tea. It might grow into an eat-in restaurant, but for now you can pick up this yummy food or have it delivered.

I, personally, am opting for delivery. No way I’m going out there today.

I’m a big brunch fan. Ever since college, where it was the only decent meal that the cafeteria served, consisting of eggs, pancakes, donuts, french toast, and served until 2 in the afternoon (which is good since, during college, I just barely woke up before that time). Luckily there are some places within walking distance I can stumble over to now on a lazy Sunday for some delicious, thoroughly fatty food.

My favorite spot in Astoria for brunch has got to be Igloo. Igloo has an inviting interior, with windows, booth-seating, a garden-type room, and an outdoor courtyard, great for summer brunches. The menu is pretty broad, with tons of different omelet options (which I’m always tempted to get, but can never finish), smoothies, flavored coffees, and the usuals (pancakes, french toast, etc.). They also have plenty of lunch options, but I’m a firm believer that the first meal of the day should contain traditional breakfast foods: eggs, starch, and donuts.

Ben and I love to stroll over to Igloo for a brunch treat and sip our coffee, do some people watching. The food’s a little pricier than most Astorian establishments, but well worth it, in my opinion. Then an after breakfast walk to Astoria Park or the Steinway Mansion. Leisure should not be confined to one’s college years after all.

While I love many restaurants in the city, if someone asked me what’s my favorite, my answer would still come fast: Republic.

Republic is a popular stop for the young hip of New York. But I pride myself in having discovered it on my own. My first year in New York, after returning from a trip to London, I wondered if I could find a New York restaurant similar to Wagamama’s, my favorite London restaurant. The decor there is white, modern and stark, with long communal tables and benches. The service was short and snappish. And the food–huge bowls of delicious noodle dishes. I thought there must be something like that somewhere in NY.

So I did research. Looked up noodle shops online. I came across a review of Republic which likened the placed to Wagamama’s and I thought “this is it.”

Republic is firstly a good bet for dinner because of location. With so many subway lines, Union Square is convenient to get to from practically anywhere in the city. Right across from Union Square Park, Republic offers a great meeting spot and a park to stroll around in after your meal.

The place’s interior has a similar vibe to Wagamama’s: modern clean, simple. But a little more edgy. A little more color. A little more of huge photos of people eating noodles. And at their long cafeteria-style tables, there is a little shelf underneath where you can put your coat or purse. Ingenious.

The menu has plenty for vegetarians and meateaters alike. My favorite’s the Tofu Udon, with lovely miso broth, tasty seaweed, and delicious noodles. I’m getting hungry just thinking of it. But fear not, there’s chicken and beef available. And they make a yummy cosmo.

Then there’s the price. That dish I just described will fill you up for under $8. Not bad for a chic place in the city. Good to know that I don’t have to travel to London to eat cheap noodles at my favorite restaurant.

In the heart of the West Village is a little Italian place. But it doesn’t specialize in the usual starchy pastas or typical Italian carbohydrates. It specializes in gluten-free food, as stated in its name: Risotteria.

Risotteria is a tiny place with a funky vibe. The menu includes pizzas and various risotto dishes, catering to vegetarians. My favorite is the goat cheese risotto. Super tasty, though very filling. The food is relatively cheap and definitely delicious. The place can be crowded on a weekend afternoon, but it’s worth a bit of a wait.

It’s a perfect place to meet friends for lunch, particularly those that are vegetarian or on a budget.

At first, the warm weather disturbed me. I believe seasons should behave accordingly, and there should be snow now. But I have to admit, I stepped outside yesterday and I got that happy springtime feeling.

Ben and I decided to take advantage of the lovely unseasonal weather by going to Central Park. I love it there. The trees, the water, the…flowers? Yes, we saw flowers. In January. Very strange. We also saw stems, starting to pop out of the ground, possibly confused into premature growth.

We strolled around the pond and watched ducks frolicking in the water. A lovely spring day.

The only indication of the winter season, was the Central Park skating rink, still full of skaters. In the middle of a city in spring bloom.

In my former life as a preschool teacher, I worked on the Upper East Side. While I occasionally miss the kids, probably the thing I miss most is the area. I used to walk to Carl Schurz Park on my lunch hour and watch the water. And on nice days, I’d walk down through Central Park all the way to where it begins. And some days I would eat at one of the yummiest spots in the city: Lili’s Noodle Shop and Grill.

The place is a chain and there’s one in Tribeca, but somehow it doesn’t seem as nice to me. Lili’s has a full front window and a modern, Asian atmosphere. The service is speedy and the menu is delicious. It has this lovely bean curd in black bean sauce, which I attempted to make once for myself and utterly failed. And they have Jasmine bubble milk tea, which I am slightly obsessed with. The prices are decent, with a nice lunch special, including soup, rice and entree for under $7. A good place to eat with friends or alone after a stressful day of chasing after 3-year-olds.

Yes, I do miss the kids. But even more, I miss the Upper East Side’s peaceful charm and yummy noodle shop.