mangia: italian in the city!

Now one of the joys of being in NYC is to shop for your tiny apt at the Container Store on 6th Ave, as well as Filene's Basement, Bed Bath, & Beyond, and as a reward for fighting with half the cities inhabitants, you find yourself at the cosy Le Zie.

Le Zie had a really delicious Lasagna special! Their Beet salad was great as was their other pasta dishes. The Calamari is a bit to breaded for my taste, but overall, it was a great evening for Italian food.

I'll definitely return for oh some more pasta!!!

Le Zie   
172 7TH Ave
New York, NY 10011-1809
Phone: (212) 206-8686

Next door is a wine bar that is nice to wait in!
Bar Veloce

mangia: soho zen

Always looking for a good place for Japanese, I corraled my friends to Soho and we tried Omen.

Now the prix fix is a bit pricey for those of us who are curious by nature, we skipped and ordered a la carte. Our party of four ordered 2 udon, a unagi, and a miso cod/yellowtail.

Portion-size is typical Japanese, meaning small and payment is AMEX or cash only. The verdict, perhaps if I was in the neigborhood, I'll be visiting, but this is not a place to trek to for some Japanese food, I'd rather stand in line at Blue Ribbon Sushi.

Omen 
 
113 Thompson St
New York, NY 10012-3714
Cross Street: Between Prince Street and Spring Street
Phone: (212) 925-8923

mangia: ues Cafe Boulud

It was a special night, despite the cold frozen snow on the ground and the wintry chill that blows into the bones, we had 8pm reservations, but due to light traffic, and timing we arrived a half an hour earlier.

We grabbed drinks at the bar, the maitre d had greeted us coldly, and didn't even warm up as the evening progressed.

The drink staff, and wait staff differed from the maitre d. We were treated kindly and the whole meal of oysters, beet salad mixed with goat cheese, veal shank, and chicken with truffles was sumptuous. Everything was wonderful! For dessert we shared a mango churro!

It was a great evening, and I would return but could do without the attitude.

Cafe Boulud
20 E 76th St
New York, NY 10021
Cross Street: Between Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue
Phone: (212) 772-2600