Vapiano - NYC

A lot of times, my friends and I just want to meet up for a quick affordable meal to catch up, something low key. Yet, we always run in to the problem of finding a restaurant for our weekly catch up sessions - it seems like most restaurants in NYC are either too high maintenance or too casual, with more of a "fast food" feel. Even the restaurants that try to pass off as casual neighborhood spots have surprisingly high menu prices.

Some of my college friends had an event at a sports bar near Union Square one night, while I had another event to go to in the same area so we decided to go to Spice for relatively affordable Thai food. I had only been for lunch before and was surprised that the dinner scene was much more high maintenance (think over done mood lighting and house music). There was also much more of a wait than I expected. After waiting for around 30 minutes, and running late for our respective events, my friends and I opted to go across the street to Vapiano, and were rewarded with a much more serene and elegant (yet affordable and low key) atmosphere where we could actually hear each other talk. They have an interesting system where they give you a card, you go to the respective meal station where you order and get your food, they swipe your card at that station, and upon leaving, you give the card to the cashier who then charges you for the amount reflected on your card.

I loved the simple decor at Vapiano, they even had an olive tree growing in the restaurant (picture above is from their website). Their options of Italian and Mediterranean food also all sounded good. I only opted for a shrimp salad, but it was delicious! This is definitely at the top of my list now as a go-to for catch up sessions with friends.

Kin Shop - NYC

I'm a big fan of Top Chef, so Perilla (Top Chef Harold Dieterle) has always been on the top of my restaurants that I would like to try in NYC. It's one of the favorite restaurants of some of my friends in the city and it's gotten really good Yelp reviews. ...I still haven't been there yet, BUT I did get to go to his newer restaurant Kin Shop which is Thai fusion. One of my friends always insists on Asian food whenever we go out to eat, so I chose Kin Shop for her birthday dinner!

I really liked the understated decor of Kin Shop - it feels relaxed and doesn't try too hard. There is a green motif throughout and the marble-top bar area has gilted gold accents that gives the restaurant a bit of understated glamour.

I loved that the menu had a mini "glossary" explaining many of the menu items on the back page:

The food definitely did not disappoint either. The noodles were good, but paled in comparison to the red snapper in green curry. The red snapper was perfectly tender and the sauce was so good that both my friend and I used our roti (which we ordered as a side) to soak up all the leftover sauce. This was definitely one of the more memorable and unique fish dishes that I've had in a while.

Fresh Egg Noodle & Maitake Mushroom Broth poached duck egg, green onions & spinach ($14)

Green Steamed Red Snapper cashews, bok choy & kabocha squash ($27)

The restaurant's dessert menu was extremely limited but we decided to go with the passionfruit pudding with buttermilk sherbet, topped with candied cashews. My friend thought the pudding was a little too tart for her taste - which was perfect for me because I prefer tart desserts nowadays and I actually thought the buttermilk sherbet was too sweet for me.

For those that live in the West Village/NYU area, this is the perfect neighborhood restaurant. Amazing food and it doesn't feel like it's trying too hard. (Lately, I've been feeling like a lot of restaurants in NYC are just too high maintenance!) Perfect for when you can't think of a restaurant to go to (although given its popularity and rave reviews, you might end up with a long wait...).

Cafe Henri - Long Island City

Even though Long Island City has several restaurants, I seldom sit down to eat in one of the restaurants in my neighborhood. Since I had another friend visiting town, I decided to start off our day with breakfast at Cafe Henri, which also has a location in West Village. Cafe Henri is known for their crepes. The cafe has cute benches and plants by their door outside and when I walked in, I really liked the laidback, cozy, cafe vibe.

In addition to the nice decor, I also loved their music! While my friend and I were waiting for our food, I think I said "I love this song" at least 3 times to my friend. Some of the songs I remember were "She Will Be Loved" ~ Maroon 5, "Freefalling" ~ Tom Petty, and "Name" ~ Goo Goo Dolls. Cafe Henri could have won me over on their soundtrack alone. The restaurant has several "classic" French dishes and sandwiches, as well as a section of their menu devoted to "savory crepes" and one for "sweet crepes."

I ordered the "Saumon Fume, Creme Au Basilic," which is simply a wheat crepe with smoked salmon, grilled vegetables, and fresh basil cream, served alongside a light salad. The crepe was very good and light. Thinking back on it, the grilled vegetables might have overpowered the smoked salmon a little, but I still scarfed down the crepe. (As you read this blog, and my next posting on the Stanton Social, you might quickly learn that I basically only eat seafood when I eat out at restaurants ~ probably a byproduct of growing up in Annapolis, and it's just healthier!)

It was my friend's first time trying a crepe! She got the "Fruits Frais," which was simply a crepe with fresh cut fruit and a strawberry glaze. I didn't try a bite, but my friend seemed to enjoy it.

I may be slightly biased, but I love Long Island City! I would totally recommend anyone who is traveling or living in NYC to come out to LIC for lunch/dinner and to take a stroll in Gantry Plaza State Park. It is only minutes away from Times Square, Bryant Park, and Grand Central, and is literally right across the East River from 42nd Street so that you get amazing views of the Manhattan skyline.

Gantry Plaza State Park is a very well cared for park, similar to the Highline Park. It has hammocks, tons of seating, as well as a fancy children's playground.

Fish - NYC

After an exhausting week (I went to sleep at 9 yesterday!), my friends and I met up at Fish in the West Village for the all-you-can-eat Maryland blue crabs for $21! The special runs from 12-4pm, but my friend and I met at 1pm and our friends joined later, as soon as they could get off work.

When we got there at 1pm, the first couple dozen of crabs that we ordered were not so good - the meat had melted away in a lot of them and the meat was mushy in others. (Since I grew up in Maryland, I have ate some pretty amazing crabs before - the best will always be the super fresh ones I ate after my friends and I went out crabbing on their boat and caught them ourselves!) Finally, around the third dozen, the crabs got really good - the meat was firm and holding together - and when you broke a claw open, the meat stayed in tact. When the crabs first get to the table, take a few seconds and let them cool down though - they come out steaming hot and they can easily burn your fingers/tongue!

Although I thought the meat in the later ones was better, there was less Old Bay flavor (although this could easily be remedied by simply adding some of the Old Bay on the table). My friends and I stayed for 4.5 hours! We ordered our last dozen at 3:50pm, and took another hour to finish that dozen, the ones we had left, and all the extra claws on the table (which we were saving toward the end as part of strategy - claws take the longest to take apart and eat!). I have definitely had enough crab for a couple weeks!

Dessert was Grom gelato nearby - pistachio and green tea :) Pistachio was my favorite!

A perfect summer Friday. My friends all commented on how fun this was - it's such a social activity! I think 75% of the time, you're not even eating but trying to crack open the crabs ~ so we were just messing around and asking each other stupid silly questions. One friend said this could be our version of a book club or knitting club, and that we should do this once a month (although depends when crab season ends...). This would also be such a fun place for a date ~ I love activity dates, and you could also see whether the girl is too prissy or not if you take her here lol.

I love living in NYC because the neighborhoods are so different from each other and you can really do so much "traveling" even within a 10 block radius. Fish was in West Village, near NYU. The area has so many great restaurants and I love the tree-lined streets between West Village and the Meatpacking District - it feels so cozy and quaint, a definite escape from the skyscrapers in midtown. Fish in particular felt like a beach-side seafood shack and worlds away from the hustle & bustle of the city. It's a nice place to escape for a couple hours.

*Oh! Another thing I forgot to mention - $4 beers! There's nothing like crabs and beer on a nice summer day.