The Dutch

Sullivan St. (at Prince St.)  New York, NY
www.thedutchnyc.com

Price: $$$
Favorite dish: Eggplant dip with savory crackers

My dad constantly travels to New York on business, and this week I was lucky enough to get to spend some time with him while he was here doing work. Obviously if he's here, we're going to eat somewhere fabulous, so he decided to take Arleigh and me to The Dutch, a restaurant he had visited and enjoyed before. We were able to get a table right away on a Monday evening. The decor was cozy and intimate, and had a loud and fun New York atmosphere. The menu is not especially large, but of what was offered, there were certainly many different things I wanted to try.

Here's what we got:

At the start of the meal we were served a nice warm loaf of jalepeno cornbread, with soft butter. This was definitely a more fun way to start off the meal as opposed to traditional bread and butter. The cornbread was moist and spicy, and it was really tasty. 

The first thing we ordered as an appetizer was the eggplant dip with savory crackers. This dish was fantastic. I loved the chips first off--they were coated with wonderful herbs, sesame, and salt. Then the eggplant dip was so delicious. Once we ran out of chips I was serving the dip to myself plain and eating it with a spoon.

For another appetizer, we got the american burrata, with white cherries and sourdough. The cheese was super soft and tasted similar to a fresh mozzarella. It was really good paired with the white cherries, and dipped in the sweet cherry sauce that it was served over.

My dad got the steamed snapper, with crispy rice and a mushroom yuzu broth. Being that I am not the biggest fan of fish, I didn't think I'd really love this, but after tasting it, I definitely changed my mind. The fish did not taste very fishy, and the crispy texture of the rice made it really unique. The mushrooms were also so good and fresh, and tasted great paired with the fish. 

Arleigh ordered the herb roasted chicken, with oregon morels and and charred leeks. The presentation was beautiful, and since it looked so good I also had to try it. The chicken was really tender and delicious, and had a really distinctive, memorable flavor.

For my dinner, I got the smoked ricotta ravioli, with tomato, and soft herbs. Oh my God these ravioli were so good. They were obviously homemade and the ricotta filling was amaaaaaazing. The tomato sauce was perfect, and all in all this dish was just beyond. I finished off scraping my plate clean.

As a side dish we got Franca's potatoes, with mustard and dill. Usually this dish is also served with bacon, but we decided to pass on that addition. The potatoes were really firm, and all of the different flavor combinations were really great on the potatoes.

We started off with the lemon meringue pie, which
is made fresh daily. It was SO GOOD. Super lemony and
super flavorful. The meringue had the perfect texture
and it all tasted fresh and delicious.

Unfortunately, we couldn't skimp on dessert--there were too many delicious looking options!!

We also shared the devil's food cake, with black pepper
 boiled icing, fudge sauce, and white russian ice cream.
This dessert was also SO GOOD. The cake was moist, and
it was really good paired with the ice cream. Being a
huge fan of chocolate cake, this dessert did not disappoint.

There was not one thing at this meal that I did not enjoy. Everything was outstanding, and everything was definitely memorable. The service wasn't bad and I thought it was a nice enjoyable place to spend a weeknight evening. Would love to go back sometime!

XOXO,
Danielle

De Santos

139 W 10th St.  New York, NY
www.desantosnyc.com

Price: $$$-All of the dishes and drinks are a bit pricey.
Favorite dish: Banana pancakes

This weekend has to have been one of the best and most exciting weekends ever! After arriving at Times Square to see the Project Runway 10th Anniversary season premiere taping, squeezing our way to the front, and above all, getting interviewed to be on the show, this weekend definitely deserved an eating celebration. On Sunday morning, Arleigh, Frankie, and I wanted to go out for a delicious brunch, and Arleigh suggested De Santos, a restaurant she and her brother used to eat at when he was living in the West Village. De Santos is located in a historic brownstone, with a homey, rustic, and candlelit interior, and a beautiful garden patio outside. In fact, this unique space used to be home to famous New York musicians, including Janis Joplin and Bob Dylan. How neat!!

Here's what we ordered:

Arleigh ordered the french toast, lightly filled with berry compote, served with fresh fruit, and maple syrup. By the final look of Arleigh's plate, I can assure you that she had no complaints about this dish.

Out of sheer excitement, Frankie and I dug into our pancakes without photographing (I broke my own rule!!!) Frankie and I both ordered the banana pancakes, served with fresh berries, and maple syrup. The pancakes were extremely light and fluffy, warm, and perfectly filled with fresh banana. They were so delicate and delicious.

As you can tell I really liked my pancakes...

A preview of De Santos's enclosed outdoor garden seating area.

When I came home after brunch, I went online to take a look at their dinner menu, and despite how much I had just eaten, I was still drooling and trying to figure out when I could go back for another meal. Although the prices are not the cheapest, the traditional American menu is sure to impress.

XOXO,
Danielle

Delicatessen

54 Prince St.  New York, NY
www.delicatessennyc.com

Price: $$--The price is about reasonable for the quality of food.
Favorite dish: Margarita Mac

I need to first start off by saying that today was definitely one of the most exciting days I've had in the city this summer as of yet. Being an obsessive Food Network enthusiast, I couldn't be more excited for today's errand to the Food Network offices to simply drop off a package. I know that doesn't seem like much, but to me, it was kind of a big deal that I had a reason to step foot into the Food Network offices, where dozens of my idols spend their time.



Besides that one exhilarating part of the day, another highlight was when I met my friend Frankie for dinner tonight. I thought maybe we should try a restaurant off my restaurant bucket list, so we went to Delicatessen in Soho, which is a perfect halfway point between both of our NYU dorms. I passed by Delicatessen for the first time when I first arrived to New York for the summer. My family and I were exploring that area of Soho, and as we passed by it, I couldn't help but note the hip and trendy ambiance of the restaurant. There is outdoor seating, which is great for a perfect night, and the inside is casual and dimly lit.





Here's what we got:

Delicatessen's menu cover.

The menu features an entire section for a variety of macaroni and cheese dishes from their neighbor restaurant MacBar (also on my Restaurant Bucket List). Frankie wanted to try one of the options, so she went with the Margarita Mac. It was macaroni with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, parmigiano, and fresh basil. Frankie said it tasted like she was eating a margarita pizza in noodle form, and thought it was super cheesy and had a nice smoky flavor. It was too tempting and I just had to try a bite. It was SO good, as it won me over for best dish of the night.

Frankie trying her mac. Here goes nothing!

I couldn't decide what I wanted for dinner; there were too many things on the menu that sounded amazing, so I decided to order two appetizers as my main dish.

My first appetizer was the Delicatessen Sliders. They are usually served with bacon and swiss, but I ordered mine plain, and they were served inside house-made buns. The sliders were sooOo good. The beef was cooked perfectly medium and the buns were flakey and buttery.

I was tempted by the description of the House Made Naan Flat Bread, which is served with grilled asparagus, sweet pepper & mango chutney, and burrata cheese. The Naan bread was definitely different than what I am used to from home, as it was super thin and crispy, but I definitely liked it this way. The subtleness of the cheese was an excellent balance for the flavor punch found in the chutney. The asparagus was amazing, grilled and flavored perfectly. This was certainly an unusual, but memorable appetizer.

 Delicatessen is a really great spot for food, drinks, and people-watching (which seems to be the case for a lot of NYC restaurants). Getting a seat outside is definitely worth it on a nice night. Our waiter was super friendly and the service was quite good. I definitely want to go back to Delicatessen again so I can try some of the other items on the menu that I didn't get a chance to try!

XOXO,
Danielle

Cafe Bari

529 Broadway (between Prince St. and Spring St.)  New York, NY
www.cafebari.com

Price: $$
Favorite dish: Crispy goat cheese and beet salad

Last night for dinner I met up with Erica and my friend Jenna, who is also interning this summer in the city. Her internship is located in downtown Soho, so we decided to all meet up in that area for dinner. Erica suggested Cafe Bari, which I have been familiar with for a while. Cafe Bari is located right in the heart of the Soho shopping area, literally smack in the middle of all the shops off Broadway;  A.K.A a great spot for people-watching.

Here's what we got:

I went with the crispy goat cheese and beat salad.  The salad was prepared with a bed of arugula, red wine marinated pears, beets, and deep fried goat cheese balls. I actually ended up taking the goat cheese out of the fried outer layer, which is how I prefer it, and I though the salad was really delicious. I loved how the beets were flavored with red wine, and the goat cheese added a really good tanginess to the arugula and the beets.

Erica insisted that they have amazing fries, and they did. They were really crispy and salty and mm mmm good.

Jenna got the spicy chicken wings appetizer for her main course, which are served over mashed potatoes and a side of garlic mayo. The spicy sauce was a little bit too spicy for Jenna's liking, but I happened to think it had a good amount of heat. The chicken was pretty good.

Erica ordered the margherita pizza. This was not her first time ordering it, and most likely won't be her last.

Bari happens to be one of the few actual nicer restaurants off Broadway in the Soho shopping district, which makes it a convenient and ever popular choice. Another plus: it's located right next to the original Baked by Melissa window shop (you can view my post on Baked by Melissa cupcakes here). Cafe Bari is a good choice for an easy lunch or dinner that you will leave satisfied with.

XOXO,
Danielle

Forbidden Fruit NYC

106 MacDougal St.  New York, NY
www.forbiddenfruitnyc.com

Price: $$--For one piece of dipped fruit, the price can go up to over $3, plus toppings.
Favorite dipped fruit (so far): Chocolate dipped strawberry with walnuts

It's not until recently that I finally fully realized that my dorm is literally in the best location ever. If I walk out the doors and down one block, I am bombarded with dozens and dozens of restaurants right there. The other night, Sara, my fellow NYU dormer, and I thought it would be a good idea to use our meal plan for dinner, so we ate in my dorm's dining hall. I can surely say it doesn't quite compare with what is right outside those doors. Sara and I also both agree that after eating anywhere in the city, we always feel the need for something sweet. After we finished dinner, we chose to venture out of the dorm and try something small and new to satisfy our sweet teeth. We found Forbidden Fruit NYC, a relatively new shop in the Washington Square area. The store features chocolate dipped fruit. Brilliant.

At first glance I was overwhelmed with options. Did I want a strawberry or a banana? Dark or milk chocolate? Toppings or no toppings? Forbidden Fruit gives you the option of strawberry, pineapple, banana, or apple wedges dipped in chocolate, and you can opt to add toppings, such as coconut, walnuts, or sprinkles, for $0.50 extra.  Another option is getting an assorted fruit stick, berry or clementine boat, or fruit cup, to then be drizzled with chocolate.

After long and hard contemplation, I decided to get my favorite: a dark chocolate dipped strawberry, coated with chopped walnuts. They dipped it fresh for me, and it was divine. The walnuts added such a great flavor addition to the chocolate.

Fruit cups pre-chocolate.

Assortments of chocolate dipped strawberries

White, milk, and dark chocolate dipped bananas, with various toppings (coconut, walnuts, sprinkles). 

MmMmMmmm chocolate dipped pineapples.

Here I go...

Another perk of Forbidden Fruit NYC: they deliver [miminum delivery charge of $15]! (Seriously do any places in New York NOT deliver?) Chocolate dipped fruit offers a slightly healthier alternative to most other desserts, with size and portion control fairly easy to monitor. Although each treat is a bit pricey individually, the ingredients and freshness are sure to be of great quality.

XOXO,
Danielle

Peanut Butter & Co.

240 Sullivan St.  New York, NY
www.ilovepeanutbutter.com

Price: $--Everything on the menu is fairly affordable for the amount that comes with each order. Their peanut butter sandwiches don't exceed $7.50.
Favorite sandwich (so far)--"The Elvis," which is a grilled peanut butter sandwich, stuffed with bananas and honey. (You can opt to add bacon for $1)

Yesterday I wanted to try one of the restaurants on my bucket list for a late breakfast. As I was walking back from the gym, I passed Peanut Butter & Co., a restaurant completely devoted to sandwiches and desserts featuring peanut butter. When I first saw this place, I was immediately intrigued and decided that the concept of this shop is genius. It's a peanut butter lover's dream. 

The menu has a section for classic peanut butter sandwiches, gourmet peanut butter sandwiches, and then of course, succulent peanut butter desserts. Don't worry, they also have a section for other homestyle meals for those who don't eat peanut butter, or are allergic (sorry you are missing out on this, Arleigh).

Since I was still in a breakfast-y mood, I ordered the Bagel Nosh, which is a toasted bagel, with sides of either smooth or crunchy peanut butter, raspberry jam, and a vanilla cream cheese to schmear.

On one half of half of my bagel, I put the plain vanilla cream cheese, and on the other half, I put homemade smooth peanut butter with sliced bananas. (I ordered sliced bananas on the side). Bananas and peanut butter make a perfect classic combination. The bagel was warmly toasted, and after a thin coat of peanut butter it started melting into creamy and sticky goodness. 

On the other half of the bagel, I spread some of the raspberry jam over the vanilla cream cheese, which made an AMAZING combination, and on the other half, spread a thin layer of cream cheese, peanut butter, and to top it off, more sliced banana. 

The 4 toppings that I got with my bagel nosh.

 I suggest that peanut butter lovers anywhere in NYC go to Peanut Butter and Co. There are just so many options on their menu that you really can't go wrong.
A few of the sandwiches that I am looking forward to trying include but are not limited to

• The Peanut Butter Cup: Peanut butter, with a chocolatey layer of Nutella
• The Fluffernutter: Peanut butter and globs of Marshmallow Fluff
• Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Sandwich: Cinnamon raison peanut butter and vanilla cream cheese, stuffed with crisp apple slices
• The Cookie Dough Surprise: Peanut Butter and vanilla cream cheese, stuffed with chocolate chips

…so I could keep going and end up listing everything on their entire menu. Peanut Butter and Co. offers peanut butter jars to go in all of their different flavor varieties. And most importantly, they deliver. (with a $10 minimum). Seriously tempting…

I'll be back any day now.

XOXO,
Danielle

Dos Caminos

475 West Broadway (at Houston St.)  New York, NY
**there are several locations**
www.doscaminos.com

Price: $$$--The entrees get kind of pricey.
Favorite thing on the menu--Mexican Grilled Corn

Being in the city, it's nice having so many friends that live within such a short distance to me (I can see muuuch more people living here than if I was still in Michigan). For dinner on Thursday night, I met up with Erica and Mel (who came in for the night) for a Mexican fiesta, and I must say   …   it was muy delicioso.  We ate at Dos Caminos in Soho, which meant it was a super easy walk for me to get there from my dorm. As we arrived, the wait for outdoor seating was way too long (considering it was a perfect night outside), and being that we were extremely hungry, we settled for indoor. The decor was sleek and fun, and the atmosphere was modern and trendy. There were about 500 things I wanted on the menu, but obviously I had to narrow that down.

Here's what we got:

At the start of the meal, the waiter brought us warm corn tortilla chips, served with a trio of salsas and guacamole. 

Salsa Salsa! All three of Dos Caminos' signature salsas were AMAZING, but we came to an executive decision that the green-colored salsa was the best. (Is it bad that we're not sure what any of them actually were?)

OOOOOHHHHH look at that guac. Their homemade guacamole was incredible. We were able to choose the level of spiciness, and I found myself eating it with a spoon. Sorry I'm not sorry.

Everyone knows Erica loves her guac (or does she…)

Erica also really wanted to order the Queso Fundido dip for the chips as well, and oh boy was it good. You know a cheese dip is good when Mel, who hates cheese, says she really likes it. It is a mexican three cheese fondue also served with flour tortillas on the side. It was really gooey and cheesy and a perfect starter.

For my dinner, I went with the Shrimp Fajitas, served with refried pinto beans, spicy cabbage slaw, warm corn tortillas, and the main attraction: mexico city street corn (but I'll get to that in a sec.) The shrimp was perfectly cooked and tasted great with the beans. The sauce was really flavorful…definitely unlike any other fajita dish I've ever had, but in a good way!!

Clearly about to dig in to my fajita..

Right when I saw Mexico City Street Corn on the menu,  I knew I absolutely had to try it. This is my most favorite way to eat corn, and my family also loves it. The corn is smothered in a chili mayonnaise sauce, and topped with garlic, lime, and finally, a good amount of Cotija cheese. It is honestly amazing. After eating mine, I finished off eating Mel's. It's that good. 

Erica's simple Chicken and Cheese Quesadilla. You can't go wrong with that.

Smile, Erica!

Mel got the Pescado Tacos, which was grilled mahi-mahi, spicy slaw, smoked chile aioli, guacamole, stuffed inside flower tortillas. These looked, and tasted awesome (obviously I had to try it). It was really yummy and had a great combination of flavors.

Mel in her happy place :)

FRIENDS!

I couldn't have been more satisfied with my first Mexican restaurant experience of the summer (thanks Erica). Dos Caminos is a really fun place to go with friends for a night out in loud and pleasurable environment. The service was a tad slow, as we were waiting for our entrees for quite awhile, and the restaurant was extremely crowded at the time. Otherwise, I don't really have much to complain about from this meal. 

XOXO,

Danielle