Author: cia

  • Corner of Wooster and Prince no phone number about $12 for two, without drinks, without tip ♥ Updated, 2006: They do have a phone number! 917/674.1869 and of course, “Cal” is from California I assume Calexico is currently enjoying their Vendy Award status as a finalist because I had to try twice before I finally…

  • I schlepped in the pouring rain to stop by the farmers market and order my turkey for Thanksgiving. After I put my name down for an 11-pound bird, I noticed the Blue Moon Fish tent. There were a few people standing in front waiting to be helped so I squeezed my way in to see…

  • 64 Charles Street on West 4th 646/486.2185 about $200 for four, with two bottles of wine, without tip ♥ ♥ ♥ For a restaurant that wasn’t selected by me–I met friends from out of town there–I was really surprised at how good our meals were at Mary’s Fish Camp. I’ve been to Pearl Oyster Bar…

  • I lived in Washington Heights for more than ten years and I spent my formative high school years uptown, but like most New Yorkers, I never really made it past my comfort zone even though that already meant way above 14th Street for me. “Hiking” down from 207th to 97th Street was a new experience…

  • My brother loves to cook. In fact, together with a friend, he cooks for small private events in Manila. He’d like for his business to be a bigger catering service in the future but I think he likes the fact that he’s paying attention to every detail in smaller portions than, say, a batch for…

  • Our best dining experience in Barcelona? Hands-down, it was at Cal Pep. I read about Chef Pep and how he still cooks at the bar and entertains guests with his cigarette-smoke voice as if he’s known them for years, but no one seemed to know where Plaza de les Olles was until a local overheard…

  • During our hike in the Pyrenees, we met a French family who has lived in Barcelona for the last ten years. They recommended Tapelia for their more-adventurous tapas and paellas. We tried the pig’s ears which were crunchy and addictively chewy. We had wine with it but it would have been more perfect with a…

  • The Santa Caterina Market is the new boqueria. There’s more space in between the stalls. It’s more airy and better lit. The stores take credit cards and can deliver your orders. There’s even wireless Internet connection. Of course, it’s known for its Enric Miralles and Benedetta Tagliabue (EMBT)-designed flying carpet roof than anything else, but…

  • More tapas places are opening up in New York City, but Barcelona just has the culture down. Where else but in Spain can you eat a decent bowl of stewed tripe for breakfast? Where else will you be spared a quizzical look when you order razor clams for a snack? And toasted bread rubbed with…

  • 52 Irving Place corner of 17th Street 212/253.2773 $120 for two, with two drinks, with tip ♥ ♥ Mario Batali took a lit bit of convincing to let Chef Andy Nusser open up a Spanish tapas bar under his name, but as told in Heat, a tasting knocked their socks off. Two years after they…

  • 106 Kenmare Street between Lafayette and Cleveland Place 646/613.7100 about $18 for one, with one drink, without tip ♥ I celebrated my 2005 birthday in the basement of La Esquina. My guests and I had to walk through the door marked with an Employees Only sticker, down the stairs and past the kitchen to get…

  • Right outside our Chinatown office, a line forms late in the afternoon in front of a Chinese man’s supermarket cart loaded with a huge pail of black liquid. I took a peek once and realized that hard-boiled eggs were floating in it. I’ve heard of tea eggs before but I’ve never had them, so the…