Open 24 Hours

This ubiquitous 'Open 24 Hours' sign can be seen in many restaurants/diners in the city. When I lived in Astoria (northwest of Queens) in the late 1990s, there was a wonderful, spiffy Greek diner a few steps from my apartment where I could order one half of a roast chicken with garlic mash potatoes and a side salad (for less than US$10) at 3:00 AM in the morning.

Granted, roast chicken isn't everyone's idea of a midnight snack but it was for me back then. Now, I rarely pull stunts like that anymore. With old(er) age, comes indigestion. :-)

So what is your idea of a midnight snack?

Union Square Protest

Earlier this week, I saw a group of marchers protesting on the street at Union Square Park. This is not an uncommon sight since Union Square is the place for most demonstrations of political and social agendas in the city.

However, the march that day was different in that they were voicing their opposition to the city's plan to redevelop the northern part of the public park (Union Square) into a commercial enterprise, i.e. a new restaurant space -- as stated on the sign saying, "Keep Union Sq Park Public" and the green outfit with yellow hard hats.

So have you ever been in a "social disobedience" or a march to protest a cause?

N.B.: Happy 4th of July everyone.

2nd Avenue Deli (on 3rd Avenue)

Last week, a friend and I decided to meet for lunch at the new 2nd Avenue Deli on 3rd Avenue and 32nd Street in midtown Manhattan. The original delicatessen, opened in 1954 on 2nd Avenue and 10th Street, was a famous institution in New York City but it closed in 2006 due to escalating rent prices during the real estate boom. The restaurant also suffered a tragedy in 1996 when the owner was murdered and the case remains unsolved to this day.

The new restaurant opened recently on 3rd Avenue and 22 block north of the original site but kept its original name as 2nd Avenue Deli. The photo above shows the free appetizers that came with every order -- (from top right): fried chicken skins with caramelized onions, vinegar cole slaw, pickled cucumbers and pickled tomato.

So what are you having for lunch today?

No Bicycle Here Please

This photo was taken on Washington Street between Christopher and West 10th in the West Village, in front of a really nice restaurant called Malatesta Trattoria. I don't know why there is a home-made, non-city-issued "No Bicycle" sign here. Maybe it is an art project. This sign is made of wood and was (obviously) hand painted. A city-issued sign is made of metal with machine printed details.

What do you think?

Schillers on Rivington Street

This is Schiller's on Rivington Street in the Lower East Side. It is a really nice restaurant that has been around for many year and now, most of its clientelles are mostly young hipsters and tourists.

The reason I took this photo was the flower boxes on the 2nd floor windows of the building. It is quite rare to see something like this in NYC because most buildings have strict rules about what you can and cannot do with the windows, especially if they are condo or a co-op buildings. The rule was instituted to precent flower boxes from falling and hitting someone on the street. In addition, the buildings prefer all their windows to look the same.

So do you have similar rules where you live?

Appetizers @ Natural Tofu

These appetizers are from a wonderful Korean restaurant called, Natural Tofu on Queens Boulevard between 40th and 41st Street. I love the place so much that I eat here about once a week. I usually get the spicy tofu soup (sondubu) with rice and these appetizers (panjan) are free.

So have you ever had Korean food?

Bruschetteria

My friend and I had dinner at this cute little restaurant called, Bruschetteria on Rivington Street in the Lower East Side before we went to an outdoor movie last weekend. I ordered the bruschetta with goat cheese & olive tapenade and the smoked salmon & arugula salad that were quite delicious.

So do you have a favorite cheese? I love almost all kinds of cheese but my favorite has to be brie and goat cheese.

Mangia Alfresco

The weather last Saturday was perfect and Mulberry Street in Little Italy was closed off to automobile traffic -- only pedestrians were allowed. The restaurants lining the street took full advantage of the situation and moved all their tables out to the street. As you can see, everyone was having a great time dining al fresco. Even I got into the mood and had dinner here (but not at Ristorante da Gennaro). I had penne pasta with Italian sausage and meatballs.

So when was the last time you ate a meal outdoors?

Join Me For Dinner?

Some coworkers and I went out to dinner after work on Tuesday night at an Italian restaurant in Queens. We ordered an antipasto that included (clockwise) prosciutto or salt cured Italian ham, sun dried tomatoes, parmigiano cheese slices, buffalo mozzarella, roasted peppers and grilled mushrooms. My favorite was the parmigiano cheese and proscuitto.

So do you have a favorite Italian dish?

Korean Dumplings (Mandoo) Bar

This photo was taken at Mandoo Bar, a Korean dumpling restaurant in Koreatown on 32nd Street between Broadway and 5th Avenue. The dumplings are filled with a variety of meats and vegetables, including kimchi (fermented/pickled cabbage). I am a huge fan of Korean food and kimchi is an acquired taste for me.

So what taste have your acquired?

Mellow Yellow

This photo was taken in front of Cipriani Downtown, an Italian restaurant on West Broadway and Bloom Street in SoHo. Exactly a year ago, I featured a photo of the same restaurant and here it is again. It was purely coincidental because I chose to post this photo before I realized the date of photo posted last year. It was a total surprise.

So when was the last time you had a coincidental moment?

Grilled Octopus @ Philoxenia

In keeping with the National Greek Parade theme, here is a photo of a grilled octopus dish from Philoxenia, a Greek restaurant in Astoria, where my friend and I went for dinner last Saturday night. My friend wanted to go to Philoxenia because she read a review of the restaurant in the New York Times and I, on the other hand, was more than willing to tag along because I used to live in Astoria and I love Greek food.

So have you ever had grilled octopus or grilled calamari?

Communal Table Dining

I had breakfast at the SoHo branch of Le Pain Quotidien a couple weeks ago. It is one of the many restaurants in New York City that offers communal table dining. I love the idea of sharing the table with total strangers, especially when I am eating alone, because I get to meet all sorts of people. But the restaurant does have smaller tables for those who do not want to dine with strangers.

So what is your opinion of communal table dining?

Korean BBQ & Wine Bar

This new Korean BBQ and wine bar on 32nd Street between 5th and Madison Avenue, otherwise known as Koreatown, has an interesting structural design for its wall. It definitely caught my attention and I had to stop to take some photos. I also love the subtle colors from the back lit bar inside the restaurant.

So how has your week been so far?

The Savoy in SoHo

I have read wonderful things about The Savoy in London and dreamed of enjoying high tea there one day. In the meantime, I will have to content myself with drinking tea at The Savoy in SoHo.

So do you have a place you want to go for lunch that isn't necessarily convenient right now?

Coffee Shop & Bar

This Brazilian restaurant simply known as Coffee Shop is located right next to Union Square on 16th Street. It is a favorite hangout of locals and tourists alike because the food is great and the atmosphere is eclectic. Most of the waiters and waitresses here are struggling actors and supposedly, Sandra Bullock was one of them, before she landed her first major movie role.

So do you know or are you related to anyone famous?

Vesuvio Bakery in SoHo

The Vesuvio Bakery, on Prince Street between Thompson and West Broadway, has been in business for eighty years. It was serving Italian style baked goods and great coffee way back when SoHo was considered an undesirable commercial warehouse district. It is amazing that the bakery is still here.

Okay, enough about the photos. What goodies did you get for Christmas? I got some movie passes/coupons, subscriptions to various magazines and a box of chocolate.

Early Dinner @ Blue Smoke

I went to the doctor's office for my annual medical check-up yesterday and was pricked, pulled, yanked and fingered (you boys know what I mean) all within the matter of minutes. And he didn't even buy me dinner or say thank you.

So to get over my feeling of rejection, I treated myself to a nice dinner at Blue Smoke, a kitschy BBQ joint in Murray Hill, the neighborhood northeast of Union Square. The baked beans were mediocre at best, the hush puppies were dry and cold, and the BBQ ribs, although meaty, were not falling-off-the-bone delicious. I was disappointed again.

So what is your comfort food?

Even Cowgirls Have the Blues

This is the front window of a restaurant in the Village called, Cowgirl that is located on the corner West 10th Street and Hudson Street. I have walked by it many times and heard the recordings of Patsy Cline blaring through the doors. So I thought it was a lesbian bar. Then last weekend, I noticed the beautiful decorations on the window and decided to take a peek inside. The place turns out to be a family-oriented restaurant that serves southern food. How wrong was I?

So have you misjudged the character of someone or something recently?

Otto Enoteca II

This photo was taken at Otto Enoteca just as we were seated, before the food and drinks arrived. Once the food hit the table, I'm was too busy eating to take any photos.

No question tonight. I'm too cold, wet and tired to think of anything intelligent to ask. Maybe you should ask me questions instead and I will try to answer them.