Bad Horse Pizza

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!!

Visit their website at: http://www.badhorsepizza.com/

Kaia Wine Bar

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.

Visit Kaia's website for more information: www.kaiawinebar.com

Lido- New to Harlem

We are always excited when new things pop up in our neighborhood. The space that was left by the short lived Frizzante is now occupied by Lido. Still an Italian restaurant, Lido is a bit more upscale both in food and in price. There were not only changes made to the menu but also to interior decor. It is now cozier and more friendly. The bar is larger and more accessible. It still has a tiny bit of that "stark" feeling, but the friendly staff makes the experience more comforting.

We have yet to eat a bad meal and have eaten there a few times. We love the ricotta ravioli with eggplant, mint and pine nuts. The proportions are not overwhelming, but give you enough to be full.

We are looking forward to eating outside in the spring! If you are local go check it out and support the neighborhood!

www.lidoharlem.com

Red LuLu

A new restaurant moved in to the main strip in South Norwalk this winter called Red LuLu Cocina & Tequila Bar. It is sort of a seductive take on a mexican restaurant.

The decor is dark and gothic with heavy red velvet curtains, mirrored tables and fancy chandeliers. It is actually very cool and brings a different vibe to "downtown SoNo." While it is slightly on the pricey side, there are some free perks such as ample chips and salsa and a few other complementary perks like free cotton candy at the end of the meal. (random yes, but still fun.) The margaritas were pretty delish, could have had a few. Their tequila selection is substantial, their menu not as much. The food was more than good enough to make a return trip. It would definitely be a great place to go for a later dinner on Friday night and stay for a while enjoying some tequila cocktails.

It will be interested to see what it does when it starts to get warmer out. It is definitely more of a dark winter restaurant than an airy spring/summer place.

To check out Red Lulu, find them at http://www.redlulumexican.com/.

Walnut Crusted Chicken

One of our favorite recipes is walnut covered chicken. We make it at least 3 times a month, often to throw the chicken on top of a salad for some protein boost. This recipe can me varied in many ways, traditionally I use the recipe below, with Pistachios. It is also delicious with almonds and cashews. You will need a food processor of some kind to finely chop/grind the nuts. I prefer to use chicken “tenders” or strips. But can be used for chicken breasts, thinly sliced chicken etc.

• 1 bag chopped walnuts


• ½ cup Panko (Japanese bread crumbs, can use regular breadcrumbs too, or none at all)


• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese


• 1 tsp garlic powder ½ tsp salt


• ½ tsp pepper Olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil, spray tin foil with cooking spray. In food processor, grind the walnuts. Add Panko, cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper and pulse a few times to mix. Pour ¼ cup olive oil in a shallow bowl. In a second shallow bowl, pour walnut mixture. Dip chicken pieces in olive oil, and then roll them around in the walnut mixture. You may need additional olive oil. Place an inch apart on the cookie tray. Cook for appropriate time. 25- 45 minutes depending on size of chicken pieces.

Community Food & Juice

Community is a place that we often come back to. It is definitely high up on our "places we like to eat" list. This means that we have tried several meals! I recently went back for brunch with a girlfriend, and it was just as good as it always is. Community features "seasonal, local, organic foods, whenever possible." While this adds to the price tag a little, the food is at least, always delish. The "seasonal" also means they change up the menu from time to time, which is always good- Both the for cook (so he doesn't get bored) and for the eater (to keep us wanting more! more! more!)

One of our favorite dishes is the pea ravioli if you are going for dinner. If you are heading there for brunch, you will probably have to wait a little bit, since this is a popular brunch destination. Their french toast is scrumptious and worth the extra calories.

I always find their cocktail menu to be quite creative, making use of seasonal and fresh ingredients. They definitely stay ahead of the trends with things like organic cucumber vodka and ginger vodka- both which now reside in my liquor cabinet thanks to Community. (See the blog post easy summer cocktails for the recipe)

The atmosphere is loud due it the "communal" trend. There are several long tables that you share with other guests as well some individual tables. Sunday brunch is often stock full of young families as the menu is also kid friendly (I mean what kid doesn't love french toast?). It isn't quite perfect for a dimly lit romantic dinner date. But it is great for a fantastic meal and some yummy cocktails.

You can find community at:

2829 Broadway between 112th & 113th

Visit their website at: http://www.communityrestaurant.com/

Tolani Wine Restaurant

I will start out by saying, Tolani wins as my new favorite restaurant. As I am sure you can tell by now, I love a specific type of atmosphere in addition to good food and wine. Tolani gets big stars in all three categories. The food was not only delicious but also creatively different and often simple in its ingredients. The wine list is clearly hand picked and well planned out by a wine expert who clearly knows what he is doing. And the atmosphere is to die for. Dimly lit with candles, rough wood wine racks behind the bar, exposed stone and brick, and tasteful funky accents such as a crystal chandelier over the stairs to the lower level, and curious prints of butterflies and leaves in the cellar room. T0 top it all off, the service, wait staff and bartenders included were friendly, talkative and interesting. The owner himself was even wondering around, expertly balancing his hosting requirements, chatting here and there. He honestly and genuinely cared about what you thought and how your overall experience at Tolani was.

Our favorite dish by far was the Vegetarian Spaghetti and Meatballs. My meat loving boyfriend even loved the dish. Crispy eggplant "meatballs" sat on top of perfectly prepared spaghetti squash in a Parmesan sauce. Both light and hardy at the same time, this "pasta" dish will be one that I know I am going to crave in days to come. We also tried the tuna, the endive and pear salad, and fried stuffed olives.

The one thing I will say, which is not a criticism, but more of a "heads up" the plates are not quite tapas, but have a similar feel. They are larger than a typical tapas plate and would work perfectly for a few people to share each one. Our order of 4 small plates was almost a bit too much food for two people. The hard part is, there is so much on the menu that you want to eat, it is hard to only pick a few plates. Just keep in mind, you will get more food than you think! That did not stop us, however, from ordering dessert on top of our food. We just couldn't help it. The fried stuffed olives were a bit too salty for me to have eaten as a main plate, they work better as a table order for a group of people so you only eat a few. I can't wait to go back and try all the other plates on the menu, there were so many that intrigued me!

There is a large garden/patio area out back that will be delightful during the spring/summer months. The owner told us he is in the middle of winterizing the patio area which will be a fun addition to the current space available for seating during the winter months. It is an excellent date night restaurant due to its "big three" (great food, great wine, and great atmosphere). It may be a little on the loud side for anyone who's looking for a secluded romantic meal, but not nearly as cramped as most NYC restaurants. This was our first time here and it definitely won't be our last. I ended up reading more about the restaurant and the owner online and found out this is his second restaurant in Manhattan. His first one is on the Upper East side and we have added it to our list of places to try.

Tolani is located in the Upper West Side. On Amsterdam between 79th and 80th. http://tolaninyc.com/about.php