Our office used to be right next to Burger Heaven in midtown east and I never managed to eat there while my office was located there, but as soon as we moved, I ended up eating there with two of my coworkers, Jordan and Stephanie. This Burger Heaven gets really busy at lunchtime because it’s a pretty quick sit down restaurant and the menu has a variety of options if you don’t want a burger.
I wasn’t in the mood for a burger so I ended up getting the Greek salad with chicken:
It also came with a side of pita and tzatziki sauce (although the sauce tasted like straight vanilla yogurt with no tanginess!)
Jordan ordered the turkey burger with curly fries:
And Stephanie ordered a club sandwich but I didn’t end up taking a photo because her food didn’t arrive at the same time as everyone else’s (in fact, we thought they forgot her order).
My salad didn’t include any lettuce but did include a lot of capers and dry chicken. It was also really expensive (I think it was $20 because adding chicken was an extra $7!)
Definitely not returning on my own, especially since that’s a very pricey lunch!
My friend Molly and I were meeting up for dinner and decided to meet at Adalya NYC, a new restaurant close to both of our apartments. The restaurant is next to Pierre Loti, a wine bar that Ken and I will visit occasionally during the summertime for their wine flights (and I think they might have the same owner).
We started out with some grilled hallomi and kombocha squash:
The grilled hallomi got a little stale because we weren’t eating it fast enough but the kombocha squash was very good.
We also shared the grilled octopus with lentils:
The brussel sprouts with chili vinaigrette:
And the braised lamb crispy flatbread:
The restaurant was a little empty when we dined (around 8pm on a Thursday night) but I think the restaurant just opened so it’ll pick up in the spring when people are coming out of hibernation!
Before the holidays, Christine, Stephane and I met up for dinner at Dieci, a Japanese tapas restaurant in the east village. We wanted to eat near union square because we were all coming from different parts of the city (and Christine was coming from Brooklyn) so Dieci seemed like it was the perfect location.
I’ve walked by the restaurant on multiple occasions but have never stepped inside and wasn’t sure what kind of place it was until I looked it up online. The restaurant is absolutely tiny and the seating is also a little difficult to maneuver (there’s a big horseshoe-like communal table that is attached to the kitchen so if you’re sitting close to the kitchen, you don’t have a lot of seating).
The restaurant has Japanese tapas so we started with the beef tartare with sea urchin, slow poached quail egg, smoked aioli:
And the potato gratin with uni:
For our main course, we shared the gnocchi with crab & cod roe cream sauce:
And the fettucine with creamy sea urchin sauce and calamari:
And the miso black cod with truffled mushroom risotto and poached egg:
Everything was prepared well, especially both pastas. I wasn’t as big of a fan of the miso black cod, but I think by the time we had the pasta, we were already quite full.
For dessert, we ordered the earl grey creme brulee:
And the chocolate molten cake:
The meal didn’t have anything I wouldn’t order again and the service was also great. The restaurant is very small, but the food makes up for it. Stephane, Christine and I had a great time together and I definitely want to return to Dieci!
During the holidays, one of our favorite places to go is Neiman Marcus in Northfield. They have a really good restaurant and Ken’s parents love it there so they go a lot throughout the year and know everyone that works there. They brought my mom the last time we were in Chicago and my mom loved it, too! The servers are all really kind there and they always have great popovers!
Every meal starts with their homemade popovers and strawberry butter:
The server comes to your table with a basket filled with them and he’ll refill your bread plate throughout the meal if you ask!
They also bring a little espresso cup of their chicken consumme:
They don’t sell the soup but it would be a great base for matzo ball soup because it has a very hearty flavor.
Ken’s parents are very healthy and they always get salads or fish so it doesn’t end up being a very heavy meal. On our trip during the holidays, Ken’s dad ordered the lump crab salad:
My mom and Ken’s mom both ordered the salmon salad:
Ken ordered the chicken paillard:
And I ordered the tuna salad on wheat with their butternut squash soup:
Lunchtime at the restaurant gets pretty busy because people walk around the mall and get a bite to eat before leaving (or going to the movies). Suburban life there is so peaceful!
Since the office used to be close to my apartment, some friends and I were able to go to Pure Food and Wine for their pre-fixe lunch on a slow Friday afternoon. I love Pure Food and Wine because they’re raw, vegan, organic, and absolutely DELICIOUS! The pre-fixe is a great deal for lunch – it’s under $40 and you get a lot of food. You start with a salad; Blaine, my coworker, recommended the Caesar:
The Caesar is made of romaine lettuce, nori, pumpkin seed macadamia parmesan, lemon, and caesar dressing. It was a very healthy portion and we were already getting pretty full by the time we finished our salads.
Mary ordered the Mediterranean salad:
The salad had a base of arugula and kale and was topped with kalamata olives, tomatoes, pumpkin seed macadamia parmesan, balsamic vinaigrette. Both salads were good, the Caesar was a little heartier (without any meat!)
For our entrees, Blaine, Mary and I ordered the lasagna (my favorite dish there):
The lasagna is raw so zucchini ribbons replace noodles and they’re layered with a homemade basil pistachio pesto, sun-dried tomato marinara, and macadamia pumpkin seed ricotta. It’s rich a decadent and there’s no dairy in it whatsoever! No one could finish their lasagna because we were already so full from the salad, but I packed mine and brought it home (and Ken ended up devouring it before I got home!!)
Kerry ordered the Hen of the woods tacos:
The tacos were made with smoked guacamole, hearts of palm, fresh corn, guajillo crema fresca, and pickled onions.
With the pre-fixe menu, we also were able to order dessert. The desserts are nothing to write home about (sorry, but I’ve had multiple desserts there and nothing has ever been amazing!)
I ordered the lemon bar:
The lemon part was so rubbery that it came apart from the crust (and the crust didn’t have a good consistency).
Everyone else ordered the moon pie:
We had a really good time at the restaurant and I’m glad it’s so close to our house because I’m so obsessed with their lasagna! I wish I could go there more often for their lunch deal, although it’s so much food I ended up taking a lot home!
