First Course

Want to know the perfect place to celebrate Cheese Fondue Day tonight? Where you can find great snacks, a great wine list and enough snobbery for your wallet to handle? It is time to head over to the East Village and check out the Bourgeois Pig. Bourgeois, a word typically referring to a "class of citizens who were wealthier members of the Third Estate," describes exactly what this place is not portraying. With an extensive all-French wine list and cheese plates, this establishment is just the place to kick off your night without spending all the money you have budgeted for the evening.

Zutto, a place which may sound familiar to New Yorkers who have tried searching for sushi downtown, has served Japanese raw-fare for more than 30 years in Tribeca. What’s different now? Although the location and name are the same, exciting things are happening to their menu.

The new chef, Joshua Smookler, is developing a new concept which he hopes will succeed in the ever-changing restaurant industry. Still serving sushi, Smookler has also changed this establishment into a Japanese American izakaya-like pub (an izakaya is typically known as a Japanese drinking establishment that pairs food and drink together) that is quickly becoming the place to have ramen and other innovative cuisine.

First bacon conquered our breakfast tables, then ice cream and chocolate bars. Next technology offered bacon a new frontier and the Bacon App came into existence. Obviously, reality television is the next phase of the bacon takeover. Deadline reports that bacon Reality TV is currently in development by LMNO Productions. Yes, you read that last sentence correctly. It will be a show completely dedicated to bacon.

During last Thursday’s second annual Varli Food Festival, 2,000 guests came to eat the finest Indian foods, drink Indian wines and beers, and, as one renowned and witty Indian chef mentioned, take an Indian cab home. The festival truly embraced the generosity of the Indian community, donating over 5,000 dollars to The Food Bank for New York City, and showed to unfamiliar guests just how complex and layered Indian cuisine actually is. It is NOT simply curry and chicken tikka masala with rice. Just as French cuisine cannot be lumped into a category as simply phrased as European food, Indian cuisine cannot be summed up into a single term because it is so regionally dynamic. Varli Magazine achieved their mission of “significantly rais[ing] awareness and appreciation for Indian cuisine around the world” by showing those new to the world of Indian cuisine the different blends of spices and cooking techniques used to create such diverse and flavorful dishes.

What makes a Thai restaurant stand out? They’re scattered all over the city so no doubt everyone has their favorite and yet, if you haven’t been to Room Service then you need to experience what makes this place a real stand out.

Let’s start with the Room Service Pad Thai. The glass vermicelli with generous servings of mixed seafood and shrimp, are tossed with brown tofu, mango, bean sprouts, crushed peanuts, wrapped up in an egg white crepe. The delicate parcel is presented with an oriental flower that brings to mind the welcome surprise of a quality chocolate covered mint on the pillow of your hotel room.

Some crave pancakes in the morning, while others like to enjoy something a little more savory for breakfast. Often turning to eggs and sausage with a side of home fries, we forget how easy it is to make batter for waffles or pancakes. It is so simple to whip together, it might be worth it to take the extra time to treat yourself to something different. We understand that many of us prefer salty over sweet. That is why, we have a solution for you. Waffles are made from a batter with baking powder and come in various shapes and sizes. They are usually served as a breakfast food and are typically sweet. This time we are leaving out the maple syrup and powdered sugar and adding some meat and vegetables.

If you didn’t have any plans set for next weekend, now you do. Crowned as one of BIZBASH’s top 100 South Florida event, The Great Taste of the Grove Food & Wine Festival, is right around the corner! For 22 years, the festival has been known for gathering the best restaurants, chefs, wine and spirits for an event that is vast in variety, affordability and deliciousness. In efforts to stay committed to sustainability, the festival has partnered with ECOMB (Environmental Coalition of Miami and the Beaches) to help spread the organization's cause.

On April 4th, Blu Cafe by Tavalon, the popular e-commerce premium tea purveyor officially opened their first US tea bar (in addition to 2 cafes in South Korea). But this ain't your average tea party. Some of the unique bevvies on the menu include tea sodas, which are house made tea syrups infused into soda water, with flavors such as peachy oolong, summer fruits, crimson punch, and jasmine dream. They even offer up tea floats, comprised of tea soda and tea-flavored froyo. Other unique creations include the Upper West Side Detox (NYC breakfast tea with Korean ginger slices), Breakfast Cereal Tea (ground Job's tears grains infused into hot frothy milk), and a Roiboos or coconut mate latte for the caffeine-crazy. Iced tea options are also available, with flavors including the MoTeajo (iced green tea with lemongrass, peppermint, or lime) and can be transformed into bubble tea for an additional charge.

Without fail one or more Easter eggs will be lost in a vase or in a potted plant this Sunday during a traditional hunt for techno-colored eggs. The egg will be left forgotten until you tear apart your house, desperate to find where that rotten egg smell is coming from. Thankfully, the majority of your dyed eggs will make it back safely to the security of their basket full of plastic grass. Most people turn their leftover hard boiled eggs into enough egg salad to feed their entire neighborhood but there are other options for taking your leftovers to the next level. Revamped Easter eggs are the equivalent of the turkey sandwiches you have for lunch on Black Friday.

New York City is filled with many establishments trying to convey an old fashioned feeling to take you back in time. Many transport you to the prohibition era, where your cocktails are fancy and the lighting dim- you may even have to use a password to get in.

Now it's time to take a step in another direction and visit the other side of the world without leaving the city. Imagine this, you are back in the early twentieth century in St. Petersburg, a time both dazzling and taxing, in a city in love with celebrations and fortune. The location, Tzar's manor where you are eating off expensive china while drinking from the finest crystal. You look around admiring the unique Russian Literature and luxurious staircase which leads to the parlor. While running your fingers along the sides of the empire sofas and antique chairs, you eventually find yourself in the room you were looking for, The Grand Ballroom. As you look up, you find yourself in the middle of the room staring directly up at the skylight. This feeling can be replicated at FireBird, a peerless restaurant which places you in Russia during pre-Revolutionary times.