Most people wouldn't know how to explain what South African food is. Since our trip to SA a year ago, we are slightly addicted- Beautiful country, great wine, and delicious food. We find the South African food draws influence from many surrounding countries, bringing together the best flavors of several different worlds. With that said, we jumped at the opportunity to try Kaia Wine Bar on the Upper East Side.
We went to Kaia on Saturday night. The rough cut high top tables that face the windows were welcoming from the outside. The place is small, like many NYC eateries. The decor cute, leaning towards rustic modern, but sparse. The steel gray walls need some artwork to cozy-up the place, it felt a tiny bit sterile.
The menu was pretty small, as were the plates. I had the Kaia salad and it was delish. A very interesting combination of flavors between fresh ginger, goat cheese and dried cranberries- a salad I will definitely attempt to re-create at home.
Our overall experience at Kaia seemed a bit rushed, the atmosphere was pleasant but not 100% comforting. The staff was plenty nice and our whole meal was good. I wasn't fully satisfied with our experience however. You get very little food for the price. Kaia has more of the "let's grab something to eat" feel, rather than a "let's go out on a dinner date" feel. This is not a negative so much as just an opinion. If you want a cozy, sexy atmosphere and stellar South African food and wine, my first suggestion is Tolani Wine Bar on the Upper West Side. (see earlier post). Kaia was still very good and I would recommend it for a quick meal, but Tolani wines the award for the Best South African inspired meal in the city.
On the corner of 120th and Frederick Douglass Boulevard is Harlem's newest addition, Bad Horse Pizza. We've been able to grab pizza there a few times since it opened a few weeks ago. The pizza is reliably good, super thin crust, tasty and so close to home! The menu is fairly limited, but they are brand new and still figuring things out. This area needed a place to get a quick pizza, and this more than exceeds the necessity. The staff is down to Earth and the atmosphere 
is family friendly and hip. The barn doors that make up the one part of the side wall gives the pizza place a rustic feel. Did I mention the pizza was good? The prices are a bit higher than I had hoped for, especially for thin crust pizza in this neighborhood, I don't think these guys will have a hard time staying afloat. So far, the place has been full each time we've gone by. If you are a Harlemite... go grab a pizza and support local business!! 
