Manhattan « The Wandering Eater

Chef Hiroyuki Sakai at Benihana’s Private Event

Benihana: Exterior, one of its large dining rooms, Portrait of its founder Rocky Aoki, Large fortune cat, The Rocky Room

Last week I was invited to Benihana‘s private lunch to celebrate their relaunch of their newly renovated space and their 48 years in the restaurant business. I took my mother along since [...]

Dinner at The Meatball Factory

Meatball Factory (exterior), At the bar, Menu

A few nights ago I had dinner at The Meatball Factory with a friend. When I heard that this particular restaurant opened a couple of months ago, I initially dismissed it as another meatball restaurant who is chasing the popularity of its antecedent. I don’t [...]

Ramen at Misoya (Before I Head Out to Chicago)

A few days ago, I had a very filling lunch at Misoya Ramen with a friend. I’ve read around Chowhound that this ramen newcomer might be comparable to my favorite ramen restaurant Ippudo. Since I love to eat a soul warming bowl of ramen during the chilly Monday we had here, it [...]

Fabulous Pre-Holiday Meal at ABC Kitchen

Interiors and the table full of winter produce

I’ve been curious of ABC Kitchen‘s food for a while. Despite the fact I’ve eaten Chef Kluger’s food from two different events. The dishes Kluger created for these events were memorable. It was soulful, bold flavored food despite one was a protein (roast pork) [...]

Ladurée’s Pied de Coq box & November’s Featured Macaron Flavor, Black Forest

Ladurée’s Pied de Coq box and their signature shopping bag and my Black Forest macarons

Earlier this week a Ladurée loyalist friend of mine told me about this macaron house’s limited release of their fashionable box Pied de Coq – a take of the traditional houndstooth pattern with bold fluorescent colors. I [...]

Saxon + Parole: Maker’s Mark Bourbon Whiskey Pairing Dinner

Starting top left: At Saxon + Parole, Dinner menu pairing with Maker’s Mark Bourbon Whiskey, Interior, at the bar

A few nights ago, I had dinner at Saxon + Parole for Maker’s Mark bourbon whiskey dinner. This restaurant is Chef Brad Farmerie and AvroKO’s latest venture, which used to be their restaurant [...]

Dominique Ansel Bakery – A Pastry Lover’s Dream

Signage outside, Inside the pastry display, and a rainbow of ‘Mini-Me’s

Pastry chef Dominique Ansel, a former alum of the internationally acclaimed chef Daniel Boulud of six years opened his own bakery in SoHo. As a person who loves pastries, I made some time in my schedule to visit this bakery.

Being [...]

New York Taste 2011

This year’s New York Taste 2011 took place at Skylight SoHo, it’s presented by sponsor HSBC Premier (with additional sponsorship from Bordeaux Wines, Cadillac, and Spring44 spirits). 45 NYC-based restaurants and the International Culinary Center (they featured frozen cocktails) cooked and fed the hungry and attendees to this fun Monday night event. Lots of powerhouse [...]

Corton – An Extended Tasting Menu for My Birthday

Corton’s Exterior, Interior, and my birthday Champagne toast

For those of you who followed me over the years, notably on Twitter, it’s not a secret that I ate at Corton around the same date back in 2008. Pretty much, I live tweeted through that dinner as I learned back then, unexpectedly and [...]