Pearl Steet Brewery, Buffalo, New York

Thanks to the 21st century's ways of connecting and socializing, spontaneity is no longer a virtue. You can start off as unplanned as you need and with a handful of gadgets you can accomplish all you want. 

 

We found this restaurant at the last minute in Buffalo city before our drive back to Albany in June this year. As the name implies, the restaurant brews it's own beer. A tour can be arranged if the master brewer is in facility. 

I am not a big fan of anything deep fried. But thus started my obsession with onion rings.

The posters all over the restaurant on brick walls give the restaurant an old world charm. There is usually music Friday/Saturday nights. Service is good and you won't be disappointed with the all-American food fare.

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...And Then There Were More

Pricy, Pricy, Pricy. This is probably the most expensive diner in NY for the quality of food they serve. The saving grace is the staff. They are friendly.

Good Indian food, close to Times Square. Its one of those places where you can take your colleagues and they will not be disappointed or over whelmed with the spiciness factor of Indian food. Best part - went here with a good friend of mine. We were too busy chatting than to be focusing on food.

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Street Food, New York City

Cheesy but true. Street food with the family is way better than solo dining in the best of restaurants. The truck on 53rd and 6th Halal court in Mid town,West serves some of the best Halal chicken and lamb. We waited for 45 minutes to get our food. There were passers by asking those waiting in line why they were doing so and many would join the line on hearing rave reviews ...more so on the assumption that the others knew what they were doing.

Later, a friend mentioned the street food close to the intersection of Barckays St and West Street is #1 and this one is #2. We are in NY a little number game won't hurt.

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Europa Cafe, New York City

Right in the epicenter of Times Square, there is never a dull moment in this pastry shop/cafe. You can watch the  hustling and bustling Times Square, a place that lives up to the reputation of  a city that never sleeps. We stopped by here for a dessert and shared a tiramisu.

This is more like a grab and go place. You are lucky if you find a table to sit. Again, a crowded place is a good sign.

This post is dedicated to my friend who was a single girl in the city until a month ago. Now she is neither single nor in NY.

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Bake Crumbs Shop, New York City

Don't get fooled by the picture, these cup cakes are humungous and that's coming from person with the biggest sweet tooth ever. I tried the Blackout cupcake and could not finish it, even on an empty stomach. However I have to say, the texture was moist and gooey with chocolate fudge inside. The crumbs on the top was the best part.

I am simply on a chocolate-craving phase.

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Dylan's Candy Land

The above is the ginger bread house in Dylan's Candy Land. Pretty impressive one.

All I saw was sugar in all shapes, sizes and color. What else can you expect from a candy store.

Did I tell you, they play really loud music inside the shop.

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Central Market, New York City

There's food all over the city and you still don't see as many overweight people as you find in the other parts of the country. Most walk a lot on a daily basis to commute, the kind of walk you do in an airport to catch a flight. Not like a scheduled walk/run on the treadmill, that comes along with a load of excuses, if you are not up to it.

The Central Market is a good place to pick vegetables, fruits, breads, pastries, sauces, cheeses, spices, tea , flowers and other condiments you generally find in a farmer's market.

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Hot Chocolate in the City

Eating is as much a part of my travel escapades as much as walking around the city. When in New York City, you have to savor a cup cake from Magnolia, share a NY bagel with veggie cream cheese, try a black and white cookie, ice skate at either Bryant Park, Rockerfeller Center or Central Park and then have a hot chocolate. Bryant park kind of super-cedes Rockerfeller Center for me. I personally thing the later is over rated and pricy. 

Right at the intersection of 42nd and 6th Avenue is Bryant Park. Aroma Espresso Bar is one of the places where you get the most decadent cup of hot chocolate. A good way to keep yourself warm on a cold rainy night, when you have to walk a couple of miles to get to your destination.

The Christmas Tree At Bryant Park

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Neuhaus, New York City

When we visited Belgium, one of the co-passengers on the plane recommended "neuhaus". For what ever reason, we were unable to go there. Not that we did not eat chocolates, just chose other places. Frankly we were overwhelmed with the number of chocolate shops in Belgium. We couldn't walk an inch with out finding a shop we did not want to eat from.

Well, not going to "nehaus" was not a missed opportunity as I saw a glimpse of this shop from the side walk as I was passing by the Grand Central. I had to stop in, tasted a few and bought some for my family. Do watch out, some of their stock is not fresh. Buy what you taste and you won't be disappointed.

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Avra - New York City

You certainly need a reservation to get into this one. One of the best upscale places to get Greek food in mid-town East especially if you like seafood. Their wine selection is good or I should say the wine recommended by the bartender was good.

I always find Greek food salty and lemony. May be I should remember to remind the waiter to go easy on the two. Other than that, I loved my food and was good with the restaurant I choose to dine in.

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Magnolia Bakery, New York City

You have to try their red velvet cup cake. We waited 15 minutes to get in. At this point of my trip, I was convinced there is a good treat at the end of every long or short queue. We chose a banana, walnuts, pineapple cupcake, a flour less brownie and a red velvet cupcake.

If you are lucky you may get to see a baker or two icing the cake.

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Lexington Brass, New York City

I am not too picky about restaurants or complain about bad service. I was not made like that, you can call it acquired wisdom from a decade of cooking and realizing the effort that goes behind each plate. A crowded restaurant is a sign of a good one. The only exceptions to that rule is when I have hungry (a.k.a cranky) kids around.

The place is packed most of the time and loud. I mean really loud. I was looking to eat some no-meat food and the only thing on their menu was a cheese plate. In the years I have learned to custom order vegetarian food when I travel and most restaurants happily oblige. I ordered fig jam, candied pecans and three types of cheeses that came with honey and raisin bread. Actually blue cheese taste good with honey, something I learned.

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Patrizio, Highland Village, Dallas Texas

My husband was is super proud of his new find. The Petrizio is located in one of the poshest neighborhoods of Dallas, the Highland Villages. Try to get there early for a nice stroll along with some window shopping amidst Jimmy Choo, DVF, Chanel and the likes.

We sat out in the patio overlooking the shops. There is a also a vintage theater that airs about three movies at a time.

The houses in the vicinity are not the typical cookie cutter homes but each with its own individualistic character. The best part was the price on the menu, very affordable.

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Velvet Bake Shop, Plano

Cup cakes are cute. Sheets of cake is boring and many times just too much for us. My last minute cake hunt for our anniversary landed me at Velvet Bake Shop. They make these tiny cup cakes in the shape of a small ball and roll it in chocolate.

I got a few chocolate-espresso for me, red velvet for the kids and German chocolate for all of us.The picture may not be too appetizing, but trust me the cake balls are.

Also I will be in Virginia next week for work. Will let you all know if I met Ms Irene.

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Chocolate

As you walk down the streets of Montreal you are sure to find pastry shops offering good quality coffees, desserts and chocolates, making you wonder if you are in France, the original pastry capital of the world. Among the numerous pastry shops we visited, the Patisserie De Gascogne was my favorite. Its a local favorite and very very French. Too bad they have a policy against publishing pictures of their pasties on other websites.

I try to bring back a little something that reminds me of the vacation; this time around it was old fashioned hot chocolate powder. Well, its not time for anything hot in Dallas so I made cold chocolate-banana yogurt smoothie. What better way to start a lazy Sunday morning.

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Bruno's Ristorante, Irving Texas

As the kids grow older, the eating out experience gets better, including better table manners and more planned outings. Its not fun when eating out is simply a result of a long stressful day at work or back to back after school activities. I had heard rave reviews of Brunos Ristorante from multiple people at work and finally gave it a try during our Spring break.

The food and customer service are the high features of this place. The restaurant has been in the same place and has the same chef for the past 22 years ... and that speaks volumes about the quality and taste of food served.

My favorite part of the restaurant is its sun room with a good view of the Irving canals. The tiramisu could have been better but over all if you, like me, bored of the giant Italian chains, this place is worth the visit.

Do let me know your favorite mom-pop joint in your city.

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Jean-Philippe Chocolates, Vegas

I am back to work and that sure says a lot about my winnings at Vegas *wink. I played a little and lost 50% of my playing budget with in a couple of minutes. I left the casino with the remainder of my stash, while hubby dear continued playing. His stash increased, decreased, increased and finally vanished. Well, unless you play poker, you are playing against the house and chances are you will lose eventually.

I walked outside the gaming area and found a floor to ceiling chocolate fountain in a pastry shop named Jean-Philippe Chocolates. Three types of melted chocolate cascade down the world's largest chocolate fountain. The shop is crowded at all times. Their crepes are as popular as their pastries. You can find this shop in both Aria and Bellagio.

How lovely is that cake?

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