Vynl

754 9th Ave.  New York, NY
www.vynl-nyc.com

Price: $$
Favorite dish: Kung Pao Shrimp Tacos

   This past weekend, my parents, sister, and cousin, Justin, were in the city for Justin's delayed Bar Mitzvah gift, which made for a great weekend to spend time with my family.  Of course, every time they are here for a visit, we make sure to try new and unique restaurants so we get a little taste of everything.  My parents found the restaurant Vynl, located in Hells Kitchen, which houses a music-themed decor, from the walls covered with music posters to each bathroom being a different musical theme (Elvis, Dolly Parton, Nelly, and Cher).  The ambiance was really fun and and funky, and was definitely different from any other restaurant I have been to before.
The menu options were Asian Fusion, which came as a bit of a surprise, however the food options were certainly eclectic, as you can order anything from meatball and tuna sliders to all-day breakfast.

Here's what we ordered:

Kung Pao Shrimp Tacos with cabbage-bell pepper slaw, honey peanuts, and spicy lime creme

Wok Sauteed Calamari with kalamansi, cherry peppers, thai basil, and garlic

Thai Deviled Eggs topped with crispy shallots and basil

Seared Tuna Sliders with with thai spiced aioli and cabbage slaw 

Tofu Pad Thai with bean sprouts, carrots, peanuts, and cilantro

Mac n Cheese with cheddar, jack, and goat cheese, panko cheddar crust, and a side salad

[mac n cheese]

Grilled Cheese with white cheddar, gruyere, bacon, and sun dried tomato jam on on country sourdough bread

[grilled cheese]

Tofu and Eggplant Stir fry with squash, red pepper, sun dried tomato, string beans, jalapeño, and soy garlic sauce

Fried Chicken and Waffles with maple tobasco

Overall, our meal at Vynl was really delicious.  For a starter, we had the deviled eggs, which I thought were really good, but I didn't think they were anything particularly special. The Kung Pao shrimp tacos, however, were great and super addicting.  The tacos were super flavorful, and the peanuts added a really nice salty touch. This was definitely my favorite dish of the meal! The calamari were also amazing-- I'm a huge fan of calamari so it did not disappoint.  The seared tuna sliders were really delicious, which says a lot being that I am not the biggest fan of raw tuna.  I really liked the thai spiced aioli that the tuna was paired with, which made the slider really tasty.  For dinner, I ate the tofu pad thai, which tasted like a pretty standard version of typical pad thai.  It was a tad bit over-salted, however I still enjoyed it. The mac and cheese was great--it was served in a cast iron skillet and had a perfect mix of cheeses.  Justin enjoyed the grilled cheese with bacon, and said it was one of the best things he has eaten.  The tofu and eggplant stir fry had a great mix of vegetables and the soy garlic sauce added a really nice sweetness.  My dad decided to try out the fried chicken and waffles.  I tried the chicken and it was so warm and moist.  As expected, the waffle was also a great addition to the meal.

Vynl was such a fun place to eat and enjoy dinner with my family.  I really loved the decor and the theme of the restaurant, which really made it a fun place to spend time.  I can certainly see myself going back to Vynl in the future, and I recommend this restaurant to anyone who is looking for a chill and fun crowd for a night out.

XOXO,
Danielle

Azuki

239 Park Ave. (between 19th & 20th St.)  New York, NY

www.azukinyc.com

Price: $$- The price was pretty reasonable for the amount of food that you are served.
Favorite dish: Shrimp teriyaki

For my first real weekend out in the city, me and a group of my good friends from school met up for dinner and a night out in the city. FINALLY! What better way to reunite with my friends than with a good meal? That's right…there's no better way. My friend (shoutout Erica) recommended that we go to Azuki, a cute little Japanese restaurant in Union Square, which I decided is meant for large parties. The restaurant was completely packed, and had long tables lined up along the one side. The noise level was extremely high, as I found myself yelling to my friends across the table, but that did not stop us from having a great time together and enjoying a delicious meal.

Here's what we ordered:

We're still not exactly sure who ordered the edamame, but regardless, it ended up on our side of the table, and ended up right in front of me. I can eat edamame at any time. Although its hard to distinguish the difference between any two orders of edamame from anywhere, these were still really good. They were steamed really well, and were salted to perfection. Always a good start to a meal!

Erica ordered the shrimp teriyaki, served with miso soup or salad and white rice. Since I arrived to dinner so late,  Erica's dinner arrived before I even ordered, and from the look of the dish, I immediately knew that was what I wanted. It was SO good. I don't know what it was about the teriyaki sauce that made it so delicious and addictive, but it was super sweet, super flavorful, and of course, super tasty. (I started eating the sauce plain once I finished the rest…guilty.)

Ricki ordered the chicken teriyaki, which was basically the same thing as the shrimp teriyaki but with…well, chicken.  

Hey Julia…yummy miso soup?

Julia went for the beef teriyaki…I see a bit of a teriyaki trend going on, no?

A few of my friends ordered sushi rolls, and Azuki certainly had some really good-looking options on their menu. This is just a sampling of what they had to offer. The first roll was the salmon dream roll, with spicy salmon, crunch, and squash, topped with fresh salmon. The other roll was the east west roll, with tuna, avocado, crunch, and caviar, topped with fresh yellowtail. These literally sound like heaven right now... 

Jess, Julia, and I looking very happy to start eating!! (You ok Jess?)

Although this picture is totally awful, it completely represents our relationship and the amazing time we had as a group last night. I am looking forward to our next meet up in the city to try some more of the great food that the city has to offer!! Azuki was a really good place for us to get together, have fun, be silly, and eat, of course, and I definitely recommend it as the perfect option for a night out with friends. The food was tasty, and the atmosphere was just right to get us excited for the rest of our night.

(S/O to Erica, Sarah, Ricki, Liz, Sara, Amanda, Arleigh, Zoe, Whitney, Jess, Julia, and Rachel for an amazing ChiO reunion!)

XOXO,

Danielle

Bondst

6 Bond Street.  New York, NY
www.bondstrestaurant.com

Price: $$$-- The food was a little bit expensive based on the amount of food that is served in a portion. Portion sizes are pretty small, so you end up ordering more.
Favorite Dish: Tuna Tart

Last night, we decided to try an upscale Japanese restaurant for dinner. The restaurant, Bondst, sounds and looks nothing like what it serves. It is definitely one of the nicer Japanese restaurants I've ever been to, with the dimmed lighting and candlelit tables. The menu selections were really surprisingly unique and different, and they all seemed delicious. I was excited to try out some of the cool things they were serving.

We decided to share everything that we ordered, since most things were smaller portions and were served "tapas style." Here's what we ordered:

Our love for grilled calamari led us to order the grilled baby octopus, with caramelized onions, jalapeños, avocado, radishes, and dashi poached potatoes. At first glance, the look of the octopus kind of scared Jaynie and me off, since they were served with scales--we steered away from those pieces. The safe-looking pieces were actually delicious. They tasted great paired with the citrus and avocado.

For our next appetizer, we ordered the red snapper tacos, with mentaiko (fish roe),  a sudachi vinaigrette,  and yuzu avocado spread. These tacos were AWESOME. The taco shell was super crispy, and the yuzu avocado was excellent on the taco. I'm not a huge fan of fish, but the snapper was really tasty. Loved this dish.

While we were ordered, our waiter mentioned how their Big Eye Tuna Tarts are their most popular dish by far.  Raw tuna is my least favorite of all raw fish, but this tart was AMAZING. The tart had a creamy ponzu sauce, white truffle oil, and micro shiso. It must have been the truffle oil that pushed this dish over the edge and made it so memorable. I definitely understand why the tuna tart is Bondst's most popular dish!

The next dish we ordered was the Main Lobster rolls, served with Japanese mustard, a steamed bun, and brown butter ponzu sauce. After having tried steamed buns for the first time last year in Los Angeles, I think they are just so delicious, so I was really looking forward to trying this dish. The lobster rolls were really good. I loved the lobster mixture--it was super flavorful and tasted great in the bun. I wish it could've been a bigger portion!!

As our first entree, we got the grilled rack of lamb, with a shiso and mint sauce, yuzu potato gratin, and Asian pear. The chops were SO juicy. These were great lamb chops. I love the combination of lamb and mint, however I couldn't really taste the mint in the sauce. But truly, I don't think it really needed it necessarily. Again, I would've like a little more, since we each only got one chop.

Jaynie wanted to order the Kamo Ramen, with a soft poached egg, duck confit, and tokyo negi (Japanese onion). The soup came with seaweed pieces to go alongside the dish, and a spice tray to add extra flavor to the noodles. The ramen was a bit bland without any of the spices, which is difficult for eaters who aren't fans of spicy foods. However, I, being a huge fan of spicy foods, loved the ramen with some of the added spice. The egg was a great addition, and the duck breast was super tender, and great paired with the noodles.

For our sushi fix, we ordered two different rolls: the hot eel dice, with eel, sweet soy sauce, and slice almonds, and the spicy yellowtail, accompanied by a red pepper sour miso sauce. Both rolls were great, but my favorite of the two was definitely the eel dice. The eel was quite tasty, and beat the yellowtail in terms of prominent flavor. The sweet soy sauce was delicious, and almonds added an unexpected crunch that I really enjoyed.

After a meal like that, we really felt the need for something sweet. After debating whether to stay or go somewhere else for  dessert, the amazing dessert menu helped us make our decision. We ordered the banana milk chocolate dim sum. Now seriously…how bad can THAT be? The answer: not bad at all. It was served with hazelnuts, and a sweet sour cream dipping sauce. Ugh..these were just so good. I only got to eat one because of the small portion, but that one bite of banana, chocolate, and sweet cream was perfect.

Jaynie and I are obsessed with chocolate lava cakes, so we just had to order the chocolate meltdown, with coffee ice cream and fresh cream. This cake was comparable to Morton's chocolate lava cake--it was that good. The sweet chocolate sauce, the chocolate cake, a little bit of coffee ice cream, and a dip of the cream: the ultimate bite. 

The aftermath...

A great place to go for a delectable Japanese meal.

Keep checking back…there are more amazing posts to come!!

XOXO,
Danielle