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

Dominique Ansel Bakery

189 Spring St.  New York, NY
www.dominiqueansel.com

Price: $$--some of the pastries are a bit pricey in contrast to their size (but it's worth it…)
Favorite Pastry (so far): Cotton-soft Cheesecake (but soon to try more!)

Yesterday, I had a day off from my internship, so I decided to walk around and explore the city (because why not..) I ended up making my way to the Soho area, and stumbled upon Dominique Ansel Bakery, a cute little bakery on Spring Street, right outside the major crowded Soho areas.
Dominique Ansel Bakery is a neighborhood cafe, that has both indoor and outdoor seating. They have a "garden" in the back, with additional outdoor seating, which stays open year-round because of a glass enclosed greenhouse. How nice!
The chef, Dominique Ansel, was named one of the "Top 10 Pastry Chefs in the United States" by Dessert Professional Magazine in 2009, and was recently chosen by Time Out New York as one of New York City's "Top Ten Pastry Chefs You Need to Know." Ok, so like all of his pastries were mouthwatering…I see where these amazing reviews would come from.

Since I came by at lunch time, I decided to try out one of their menu options. Lunch is served from until 4 pm daily, so I made it just in time. I decided to try the Tuscan "Panzanella" Salad. This salad was made with toasted croutons, frisée, salami, roasted bell pepper, artichokes, white beans, and basil dressing. Right when I saw this on the menu, I decided this salad contains literally all of my favorite things to put in a salad, so I absolutely had to try it. It was perfection.

Panzanella salad… from now on, we'll call it the DANIELLE SALAD.

Being in a bakery with so many amazing looking pastries, how could I NOT try one of them? I decided to try what they call their mini cotton-soft cheesecake. There was only one left, so I had a feeling this would be a winner. And OMG, it was. The cheesecake literally did feel as soft as cotton, and it had a nice sweet brûlée topping. I could tell the cheesecake was made with Ricotta, which also didn't make it ridiculously sweet, and it was super light, and absolutely delish. 

Rows and rows of unique pastries. Some of my favorites, and ones I MUST try soon include the salted caramel eclair, and the Paris-New York, (a twist on the Paris-Brest), made with Pâte à Choux (cream puff) and filled with caramel, peanut, and chocolate. Heavenly!

More pastries to ponder...

Ok, so anyone who has been with me recently would know that my latest obsession is MACARONS. Yes…they are what I consider heaven on earth. I mean seriously…these look scrumptious Agree?

The bakery's interior is bright and welcoming, with a clean and tasteful look.  There is a "garden" area out in the back, filled with tables and an open roof--a perfect place to eat on a beautiful city day.
I am literally so excited to go back and try another delectable pastry from Dominique Ansel. (Anyone wanna come with)?  I couldn't have been happier with what I decided to try on my first visit!
BEYOND satisfied. Yummmmm….

XOXO,
Danielle

Bar Pitti

268 6th Ave. (between Bleecker & Houston)  New York, NY
**Bar Pitti does not have a website, but you can check out their menu here.**

Price: $$--The food really was not all too expensive considering the options that are available and the amount of food that is served.
Favorite dish (so far)-- Caprese Salad

For my first reunion since school with my good friend Jenna, she, Sara, and I met up for dinner right after work this evening. We decided to walk around, and as soon as we saw somewhere that looked good (and received good reviews, of course), we'd eat there. As we were walking toward the SoHo neighborhood, we passed Bar Pitti, which did not look to be very crowded since all of the outdoor seating was completely vacant. However, when we went in, the restaurant was pretty full. We realized that the lack of people eating outside was most likely due to the horrendous weather New York experienced today, but regardless, we decided to be the one and only party to eat outside.
Bar Pitti is a casual little Italian restaurant, and you can tell that the food is fresh and authentic. Although several online reviews claim that Bar Pitti has terrible service, I would certainly disagree based on our experience tonight. We received our bread, appetizer, and entrees all in the course of probably 20 minutes.  The waiter was also pretty attentive, considering we were the only customers eating outside.

Here's what we ordered:

At this point in the meal I was absolutely starving, so a piece of bread dipped in olive oil sounded perfect. This olive oil was really good. It was quite tasty and definitely was high quality. A great start to our meal.

Jenna and Sara ordered the Caprese salad as a starter, and I couldn't resist trying it. I am a huge fan of mozzarella and tomato, and covered with olive oil and basil…count me in. The mozzarella was so fresh and yummy, and the tomatoes were a great compliment to the cheese. With some added salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil, this represented the epitome of an excellent Caprese salad.

HUNGRY JENNA!! In Jenna's words: "I give you permission to put a picture of me stuffing my face on your blog"….well ok then.

Sara ordered the Precamondo Panini (no, I do not know what that means in Italian). It was stuffed with brie cheese, eggplant, mushrooms, turkey breast, and sun dried tomatoes. Now THAT sounds like an amazing combination of flavors. Sara seemed to thoroughly enjoy her panini. Her one complaint was that she wished the bread had been pressed a little more to make the sandwich warmer, and more like a panini vs. a regular sandwich.

Jenna went with the Vegetale Panini, which contains artichokes, mushrooms,  eggplant, tomatoes, and lettuce. Another great vegetable flavor combination. Jenna loved her sandwich. 

Unfortunately, I can't resist homemade pasta, no matter how hard I try. I ordered the Spaghetti Strascicate,  which is homemade noodles with meat sauce. I can easily tell a homemade pasta vs. pasta out of a box, and this was certainly no boxed pasta. It was cooked to a perfect al dente, and the sauce nice and meaty. It was DEE-lish.

Finally happy to be together in the city!! (*Mentally insert picture of me in the middle).

If you want tasty and simple Italian food, Bar Pitti is your place. We have also decided that our outdoor seating location made for excellent people-watching. But seriously, we truly enjoyed our time at Bar Pitti tonight and we all definitely enjoyed our meals.

Our quote of the evening: "You will not pity your visit to Bar Pitti!!!"

XOXO,
Danielle

Baked by Melissa

109 E. 42nd St.  New York, NY
**there are several locations**
www.bakedbymelissa.com

Price: $-- $3 for 3 cupcakes, and $5.50 for 6 cupcakes…100 cupcakes for $70.
Favorite cupcake: Tied between cookie dough and red velvet

Because cupcake shops in NYC are very easy to find, and because the cupcakes in the city are always ginormous, Baked by Melissa mini cupcakes are always a great little treat to help satisfy my HUGE sweet tooth. I have loved Baked by Melissa cupcakes for so long, which would explain why the second Arleigh, Sara, and I spotted the shop across the street yesterday, we couldn't help but run right over.
As we walked in to the store right outside Grand Central Station, we are instantly greeted by an array of hundreds of bite sized cupcakes. There are so many wonderful flavors to choose from, and frankly, they just never get old.

The current Baked by Melissa flavor lineup includes:
-mint chocolate chip
-tie-dye
-cookies & cream
-cookie dough
-peanut butter cup
-cinnamon
-chocolate chip pancake
-peanut butter and jelly
-red velvet
-*flavor of the month* - this month: wedding cupcake!

The flavors I decided to try this time were: Tie-Dye, Cookie Dough, Chocolate Chip Pancake, S'Mores, and their flavor of the month, Wedding cupcake (white vanilla cake with bavarian cream stuffing, white vanilla icing, and white chocolate shavings).

Sara and Arleigh all too excited to start eating.

Wedding cupcake. The cake was soooooo fluffy, and it tasted super sweet.

The tie-dye cupcake…such a classic Baked by Melissa flavor.

Cupcakes being one of my favorite desserts in the world, I definitely can't complain about these! Actually…my one complain might be the fact that they're so small. I mean come on…after one bite, I just want more!


XOXO,
Danielle