Cheap Indian Eats at Milon

My friends rave about Indian food, and while I've never tried it, my friends suggested we go to a fantastic Indian restaurant on the lower east side before our friend Adam's show at Pianos. The restaurant was hard to miss because of its bright Christmas and decorative lights inside the restaurant that shined so brightly you could see it a block away! Located on 1st between 5th and 6th Avenues, the restaurant was a teeny tiny walk up called Milon. Although the place was small, it was completely packed! The lights completely flooded the ceiling of the restaurant, so much so, that even I at 5' 3" had to duck so the lights wouldn't hit me in the face! The six of us started off with three orders of assorted appetizers (at $2.75 per order). The appetizer can with one samose, two piaza, and two banana pakora.
I learned a samose is a meat and potato "fritter," a piaza is a vegetable fritter, and the pakora is a fried banana fritter. They were all fried yet tasty in their flavors. We also ordered three orders of nan ($1.50 per order) which is a flat pita bread that comes in either regular or garlic. The bread was a great accessory to our entrees. Before I left my roommate told me to try the tandoori, so I tried the shrimp tandoori ($8.95). It came out sizzling in a metal pan and was served hot on my plate. The shrimp was a bright colored red which scared me because I am not big on very spicy foods. However, the shrimp had a kick, but tasted very flagrant without being too spicy. I would definitely recommend it to someone who hasn't had Indian food before. We told the waiters it was our friend Ashley's birthday (although I must admit we fibbed a bit) the waiter came out with small dishes of mango ice cream for each of us! All the light overhead turned off expect for a big disco ball light that lit up to the music of an Indian version of "Happy Birthday." Overall, our bill left us only paying $14 each! Incredible.
The best thing about this restaurant beside the atmosphere and food is that it is a bring your own booze restaurant! Our friend stopped at Trader's Joe's beforehand and bought six bottle of their "two buck Chuck" (okay, three in the city) bottles of wine. Therefore we got sloshed before the show and had our stomachs filled for the cheap. A side note: if you're really claustrophobic this place might not be suitable for you. It is very, almost too cozy but the cheap eats really makes up for it. So go out to the LES, grab some Indian food, and check out some cool bars and venues in the area. Or even better, you can check out my friend Adam (also known as Saul Ashby) on myspace and listen to some of his sweet jams.

Until next time, happy eating!

Bianca

First Kiwi Bar, Eh? New Zealand Food at Nelson Blue

A family friend of mine has been opening various restaurants around New York City for years, but when she told us about her latest restaurant opening, we were a bit shocked and confused. She mentioned is was called Nelson Blue, and it served New Zealand food. Whenever I hear of New Zealand, the first thing that comes to mind is my favorite HBO show, Flight of the Conchords in which two New Zealanders flock to New York City to gain popularity for their band, but I never heard of a New Zealand restaurant. My mom, a friend, and I had to check it out.

Nelson Blue, located on 235 Front Street is actually the first New Zealand, or as the natives like to call it, "kiwi bar" to exist in Manhattan. The bar regularly shows rugby games, the most popular sport in New Zealand. Surprisingly, the food was not very foreign, and thei signature kebabs were amazing. Nelson Blue is considered mostly a wine bar, but with lots of small plates to share and nibble on. Due to technological errors, my camera punked out before I got to document these tasty treats, so I will try to depict their deliciousness by words.

The wine was great at only $8 a glass, and the atmosphere was very warm and inviting. Since the restaurant is located in Southstreet Seaport, the restaurant was very sea decorative with a wooden ship hanging above a long table and long wooden benches that accompanied the tables. Since we wanted to try a bunch of different items on the menu, we ordered a bunch of appetizers, sides, and of course, the kebabs. We ordered the popcorn shrimp with remoulade sauce ($12) which was sized well for the three of us, and the popcorn shrimp crunchy yet fresh tasting. We mix and matched a bunch of skewers (who wouldn't at only $4 per kebab?). The salmon with curry mayo kebab practically melted in our mouth, the chicken with spicy peanut sauce kebab had a great peanut buttery flavor, and the shrimp kebab with lemon herb mayo was delicious. The dipping sauces really made the kebabs, as well as our side order of french fries with herb salt ($4) where the herb mayo mixed great with the fries.

We also heard great things about the five spiced crushed cauliflower ($4) so we had to order it. The flavors were great and the cauliflower texture was reminiscent of mashed potatoes. With ordering 6 kebabs, 2 side orders, an appetizer, wine, and a $6 chocolate flower cake for my roommate, the bill came to $70! A great suggestion would be to head over to Southstreet Seaport ASAP to try to fare and also because Southstreet has great holiday festivities for Christmas.

Go to Southstreet Seaport for the weekends, and you can see their treelighting celebration and the Big Apple Chorus sing christmas songs in front of the tree. They play 45 minute shows at 6 and 7 pm on Fridays, and 3 and 4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

Be sure to catch a Christmas chorus show, go Christmas shopping in the Southstreet Seaport mall, and eat up all the New Zealand grub you can handle!

Until next time, happy eating!

Bianca

Cilantro

The Upper East Side can offer many tantalizing treats like Italian, Thai, Chinese food, etc., but sometimes being a college student on the Upper East Side can leave a person in a food rut. Students fill themselves on every food they could think of in the neighborhood to get away from the cafeteria food, but yes, it does get boring after awhile. Since I'm an avid lover of Mexican food I decided to try Cilantro, a Mexican food joint located on 71st and 1st Avenue, an avenue away from my college campus.

The atmosphere was very cozy inside and was decorated to look somewhat like an adobo hut. It was dimly lit with candles which gave a relaxed, yet classy and romantic feel. My friend and I both received complimentary chips, including plantains and a mild salsa. Since we just got out of class, we were itching for some alcohol.
My friend ordered the Wildberry Frozen Margarita ($8) while I ordered there special Sangria of the day ($8.50) complete with strawberry juices, chopped apples, oranges and a cherry to top it off. The great thing about the drinks is that the prices aren't bad since they come in 16 ounce classes so they are generally big.

My friend ordered the chicken quesadilla appetizer, complete with jack and cheddar cheese, corn salsa, and green chilies ($8) along with their chicken tortilla and lime soup ($5). She said the food was fantastic and the quesadilla, although it was an appetizer, was so much food she got to bring half of it home.

I ordered the tequila shrimp enchilada ($16) with red chile sauce, rice and beans. This dish was great because it was entirely smothered in jack and cheddar cheese and the shrimp tasted fresh.

This is definitely not a Taco Bell, so the food tastes a lot more authentic and it's a great place to catch drinks with friends after a hectic day at school. This post is dedicated all who read my blog at school.
Stay tuned for next week where I try an authentic cuisine most people didn't know existed in the city!

Until next time, happy eating!

Bianca

Italian Comfort at Tony Dinapoli's

When people, including myself, think of the words "best," "New York" and "food", the results are usually all the same: Italian food. New York's italian food can never be beat by any place in the world, other than it's motherland, Italy. Sometimes it can be hard to pick and choose a place to get a great Italian meal since there are so many in the city. My friend and I decided to go to our favorite place: Tony Dinapoli's.

Tony's is a great homestyle Italian restaurant where all the dishes are served family style. The portions are huge and can usually serve up to three people, making the prices very reasonable and a great spot to go out and split an entree or two with some friends. My friend and I first glanced painstakingly over the wine list and I finally decided on a glass of Tony's Straw Bottle Chianti for $7. We ordered our favorite appetizer, the mozzarella and tomato salad for $16.95. There was so much for the two of us but we basically ate it all. Plump slices of tomato with mozzarella and shredded basil drizzled with balsamic vinegar made our mouths water. For an entree we wanted something cheesy, which meant their baked ziti napolitano for $19.95. The plate was hot, steamy, cheesy and delicious. The ricotta melded perfectly with the sweet sauce. Other dishes we have had over the past that are amazing is the rigatoni with vodka and mushrooms and "Tony's shrimp," which is their famous appetizer. It's bruschetta of crispy sliced bauguettes with marinated shrimp on top. Definitely worth trying!

What makes Tony's a great bargain is that with all the food comes massive leftovers. My friend and I got our leftovers separate to go and I got ao whole other dinner out of it! My friend and I went to the quieter Tony's location on Second Ave. and 83rd St. but there is also a two story Tony's on 43rd. St. btw. 6th and 7th Ave. It's a great place to go grab something to eat with friends before a Broadway play since there is hardly ever a wait and the portions are fantastic.

Until next time, happy manga!!

Bianca

Warming up with Celsius

Since I was a young girl, my cousin and I would both begin celebrating Christmas the day after my cousin's birthday (September 1st). We were inseparable and would prance around our houses, singing Christmas songs every single day until December 25th. This drove both our mother's incessantly crazy, to the point where a simple rule emerged: Christmas could be celebrated once Halloween is over.

Well, Halloween is over and that means it's officially time to begin my countdown to my favorite holiday of the year. I kicked off this celebration by heading over to one of my favorite restaurants to get into the spirit: Celsius Lounge located within Bryant Park.
Celsius is modeled to look like a Canadian Lounge, equipped with enormous heat lamps surrounding it's outside patio so onlookers can watch the ice skaters that grace the Park's ice skating rink. There is also an indoor area, which is very modern and club like inside.

I went to Celsius last year and fell in love with their fondue. My friend and I ordered our own fondues, which made the Christmas like scenery the more enjoyable. My friend ordered the cheese fondue with mini baguettes for a mere $13.50 while I ordered the cheese fondue with apples, pears, and some mini baguettes for $15.50.
The cheese was a melted swiss that was intimately presented by our own personalized fondue pots. Be not fooled, the prices sound pricey but the fondue is super filling, which means it definitely passes as an entree. Macaroni and cheese, caesar salads, and tomato grilled cheese take up the bulk of the menu. It's delicious easy to make food presented at its best.
There are also some marvelous alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks to accompany the fondue: including hot chocolate and hot apple cider with cinnamon schnapps for $10! Be sure not to drink too many of those before you enjoy the free ice skating at Bryant Park.

Until Next Time, Happy Eating!

Bianca

Burrito 101

If I could pick any sort of ethnic food group I could live on for the rest of my life, it would be Mexican food. Although many may argue I've never had true mexican food since I've never traveled to the south western part of the United States, I will say "New York" Mexican food is absolutely out of this world. Therefore, instead of my usual blogging about a certain place, I've decided to blog about my three favorite places in New York City to grab Mexican food.

1. El Sombrero is located on the lower east side (108 Stanton St., to be exact) and has a great intimate dimly lit setting with candles is perfect for going on a cheap date. The restaurant is decorated with authentic Mexican style paintings along with a sombrero, of course. There's the courtesy chips and salsa as well as cheap yet strong margaritas. A small marg is only $4 and worth it! I always opt for a chicken and cheese burrito which comes in a huge portion for only $10.00. The food tastes very authentic and fresh, with all items only the menu ranging $14.00 and under. With the lower east side being one of my favorite Manhattan spots, after dinner at El Sombrero take your date or group of friends to Pianos on 158 Ludlow Street. They have great music every night and a young hip crowd with well made drinks. Shows are every night, every day of the week and are usually $8 to watch bands play in the showroom. There is also a lounge act which is upstairs and usually free. Every Monday night in the lounge act there is "Smart Ass Rock 'n Roll Trivia" and every Tuesday night there is even a "Guitar Hero" party! It's definitely a great atmosphere and a great excuse to find new bands and music to listen to.

2. Blockheads is located in various parts of the city and each one tastes as delicious as the next location. Their frozen margaritas are $3 every day no matter what! My favorite is the Black Flower which is half sangria, half frozen margarita. I usually mix it with a coconut frozen marg. Their quesadillas as absolutely huge and can usually last two meals worth. I opt for the quesadilla grande for $9.95 with has melted monterey cheese, black beans, salsa cruda, spanish rice, guac, and sour cream. My other suggestion is to go here for lunch. They have $8.95 lunch specials that come with a soda, chips and salsa. This place has become a weekly treat for me because of how inexpensive and delicious it is.

3.Chipotle, again like Blockheads is a big chain. I usually go to the one in midtown on 53rd btw. Third and Lexington because it's closest. The burrito bowl is a great option because its the contents of everything you want for in a burrito without all the bready-ness. A burrito bowl usually ends up being about $8. While it's my favorite place to go, I would say go for an informal lunch date with a friend because with chipotle you wait online and there aren't waitresses who take your order. Therefore, it's not really the "classy night out" type place but the food is something to try out. You must be wondering, what's my burrito bowl of choice? Chicken, rice (I love the cilantro mixed in with the rice!), pinto beans, lettuce, mild salsa, sour cream, cheese and a nice helping of guacamole. Is this making you hungry yet?

Until next time, happy eating, and let there always be peace, love, and guacamole!

Bianca

An Ode to Bar Food

I promised myself I wouldn't write another blog about greasy, unhealthy food, but last week when my friend begged me to go to a bar in the village with her to watch the Red Sox game, I couldn't resist. Phebe's is a tavern/bar located on 359 Bowery. It's quaint atmosphere is a great after work/after school place to hang out, and most notably it was a great place to watch the Sox game in the World Series. With knowledge of Boston being a huge rival with New York, I was skeptical that this bar would actually be a bar filled with Boston fans, but I was surprised to see the bar completely filled to the brim with the fans. I watched them scream and cheer at every possibly moment, and more importantly I got to taste their amazing bar food. If you come to Phebe's on Monday through Friday from 4-8pm there is half price on all appetizers. My friend and I split this heaping pile of nachos which came out to $4.95! We stuffed our faces and our belly's just in time for the game to start. However, the lingering aroma of buffalo wings got the best of us. On Mondays and Wednesdays, there is a pitcher special. If you buy a pitcher you can get wings for only 10 cents each! We bought a pitcher of bug light and munched on these amazing and meaty wings. The bill came out to only $25 for the both of us and we left- her happy the Red Sox won and me leaving happy because of my buzz and delicious food. Of course there are many other great bars in the city with great bar food, but this bars great deals and great sporty and hospitable atmosphere is a place I will definitely be returning to.

Until next time, happy eating!

Bianca