Degustation Wine & Tasting Bar

239 E. 5th Street, btwn 2nd and 3rd Avenues, East Village
Sushi Bar style seating, reservations necessary: (212) 979-1012

Despite the exquisite zen-inspired design, sexy vibe and scrumptious food that betrays quality as well as culinary meticulousness and flawless service, “let them eat tapas” seems to be the approach to Degustation’s price-portion ratio. While the cost of the average tapa is $10.00 and more or less in synch with the median price for tapas in NYC, the portioning seems more Swiftian than Spanish.

Quick assessment: a great place to enjoy some fabulous Spanish wines with a snack, but leave your hearty appetite at home unless you’re in the mood to thin your wallet. Tasting menu is $50.00. If you get past the horribly stingy portioning, the food is marvelous and prepared with flair and fastidiousness. Ambiance and service are commendable, particularly in light of the bar seating. If you’re a foodie, and are into the pork trend, Degustation finds creative ways to foreground the sinful white meat. If you go, reservations are a must. This place is small (almost proportionate to its portioning) in size and extremely popular.

Allow the photos to illustrate what I mean by penury-inducing
portioning …

Degustation's Shamelessly Small Spanish Tortillia

Shamelessly Small Tortilla

[Read more...]

Degustation Wine & Tasting Bar

239 E. 5th Street, btwn 2nd and 3rd Avenues, East Village
Sushi Bar style seating, reservations necessary: (212) 979-1012

Despite the exquisite zen-inspired design, sexy vibe and scrumptious food that betrays quality as well as culinary meticulousness and flawless service, “let them eat tapas” seems to be the approach to Degustation’s price-portion ratio. While the cost of the average tapa is $10.00 and more or less in synch with the median price for tapas in NYC, the portioning seems more Swiftian than Spanish.

Quick assessment: a great place to enjoy some fabulous Spanish wines with a snack, but leave your hearty appetite at home unless you’re in the mood to thin your wallet. Tasting menu is $50.00. If you get past the horribly stingy portioning, the food is marvelous and prepared with flair and fastidiousness. Ambiance and service are commendable, particularly in light of the bar seating. If you’re a foodie, and are into the pork trend, Degustation finds creative ways to foreground the sinful white meat. If you go, reservations are a must. This place is small (almost proportionate to its portioning) in size and extremely popular.

Allow the photos to illustrate what I mean by penury-inducing
portioning …

Degustation's Shamelessly Small Spanish Tortillia

Shamelessly Small Tortilla

[Read more...]

Snazz Up Those Leftover Mashed Potatoes

Don’t Even Think About Throwing Away Those Leftover Thanksgiving Mashed Potatoes!

Click on the Image Below For a Quick Way to Transform Them Into A Fabulous, Flavorful, Iberian Appetizer!

Recipe by Melissa Clark, published in New York Times Dining Section.

Potato, Ham and Piquillo Pepper Croquetas

Potato, Ham and Piquillo Pepper Croquetas

For more delicious, idiot-proof recipes with everyday ingredients, check out Melissa Clark’s _Chef Interrupted_. Click on image below for details and easy Amazon purchase.

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Food Bank for New York City – Check Out Hunger Program

In this season of giving thanks, let us be grateful for goodness received and reach out to
New Yorkers in need.

By donating to the Food Bank for New York City’s Check Out Hunger program at your local supermarket, you can help feed hungry New Yorkers this winter.

Donating is as simple as food shopping. Just go to your local supermarket at purchase a Check Out Hunger coupon. You can donate as little as $1.00.

There are over 100 participating supermarkets in the New York area. These include Fairway, The Food Emporium, Stop and Shop, Waldbaums, Food Town, Path Mark, King Kullen and many more.

Every $5 donated to the Check Out Hunger program helps the Food Bank provide enough food for 25 meals for New Yorkers in need.

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Free Sample of Certified Organic Free Trade Coffee

To order your free sample of

beans that are:

Double A Arabica* Coffee

100% USDA Certified Organic

100% Fair Trade Coffee

100% Pesticide Free

100% Shade Grown

Click on my free free trade coffee sample.


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Philippe Chow Express

469 Sixth Avenue, btwn 11th and 12th Streets, Greenwich Village
212-929-8949
"P" is for the Poorest Service in the Borough of Manhattan

"P" is for the Worst Service This Side of the Hudson

No matter how dreadful the experience, I don’t like thrashing places wholesale. Even when the service is deplorable, I look for that hint of good will, the slightest suggestion of a desire to please and will linger a little longer than usual in my praise of a the tasty bread basket when I find it. I’m the first to admit that even the best of places have off nights. So in the name of fairness, I’ve been scouring my brain about my experience at Philippe Chow Express to find something comparably redeemable, but keep coming up with nada… [Read more...]

The Last Thing Greenwich Village Needed…

West 3rd St. btwn. Thompson St. and Laguardia Place

West 3rd St. btwn. Thompson St. and Laguardia Pl

…besides the closing of yet another privately-owned cafe’.

[Read more...]

Soggy Weekend? Reach for Candles, Bogart Flicks and Jacques Pepin

When the weekend seems a wash, nothing spells comfort better than Roast Chicken and Mashed Potatoes. Forget the weather and follow Jacques Pepin’s quick and easy recipe to basic palate pleasures and hearty satisfaction.

Pepin recently prepared this on Fast Food My Way on KQED. Watch the less than 30 minute You Tube video below and let the mouth-watering inspiration work its magic on you. Remember that with Fresh Direct, shopping for ingredients can be done sipping your Chianti, watching the rain fog the panes of your windows.

For more great recipes by Jacques Pepin, purchase a copy of his book
Fast Food My Way
. Order yours now by clicking on the image below.

Nespresso

Nespresso on Madison, NYC

Nespresso on Madison, NYC

761 Madison Avenue, btwn. 65th and 66th Sts. open M-F, 8-8; weekends, 9-7

...Because there’s no better way to end a Madison Avenue couture-tour or buying orgy than with a first-rate cappuccino. And that’s exactly what Nespresso delivers…a bold, mildly bitter espresso with a smooth finish atop a hot satiny, compact foam swirled into elegant ripples. Whatever your Madison Avenue bags or baggage hold, Nespresso’s cappuccino and the boutique’s relaxed feel, swank design with torrents of natural light and ambient jazz will guarantee moments of unremitting pleasure (and warrant my updating my top cappuccinos in NYC page.) A table in the front will deliver beautiful reading light, soft leather chairs and an enviable perch onto Giorgio Armani Boutique. [Read more...]

Market Table

54 Carmine St., corner of Bedford St.
Greenwich Village
New York, New York
212-215-2100

Market Table's Phenomenal Burger

Boasting urban farmhouse appeal in the less commercial reaches of Greenwich Village, Market Table churns out abundant seasonal goodness. Pale-shaded wood, black and white mosaic tiles and an all glass perimeter play on the light and old Village charm to make this place cozy on the inside and inviting for pedestrians on the outside. [Read more...]