Save the Date

Tribeca: Macao Trading Co. hosts Calamity Chang's “Drunken Dragon Night” on October 4 from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. The free event includes a Burlesque Cabaret show and an open bar until 11 p.m.


who's in....WE ARE!


-S&B

Save the Date

Dewar's is hosting a few tasting events in the next coming weeks.  Sign up here.

-S&B

Barbuto

Barbuto located in the West Village is a great place to people watch and that's about it really.  Jonathan Waxman from Top Chef Masters disappointed our plates.  Located on the hot corner of Jane & Washington Street you would expect to have this delicious dinner that would blow your mind since Cafe Gitane is literally around the corner along with Standard Grill.  They have a good space with a huge outdoor seating, but keep in mind if it's hot out, they don't have A/C, so don't bring a date here unless it's 70 degrees!

Starters:

Insalata Caprese

Mussels

Entrees:

Pollo al Forno (roasted chicken) w/salsa verde

Spigola ai Ferri (black cod) w/endive, leeks, & mushrooms

Special of the Day - Red Snapper in tomato sauce

Patate (fingerling potatoes) w/calabrian & rosemary

Dessert:

Raspberry Gelato

Chocolate Sundae

B's Review:  I was excited to try a Top Chef Master's restaurant since they are "the best" in world, but was disappointed with a few things, first the A/C condition.  Mind you I love to people watch and I am known to stop a conversation just to watch someone cross the street or put a bike in their car, but on an August night having no A/C is not fun.  I love the garage feel look as it makes it a comfortable environment...perfect brunch location.  2nd disappointment was the amount of oil on the insalata caprese. The tomatoes & cheese on this salad were outstanding as we learned that the chefs go to the market everyday and pick out fresh ingredients that is why the menu changes everyday, but the salad was drenched in oil.  My chicken was outstanding since it was moist, but it lacked that kick, that flavor.  It was also HUGE; they actually served me a 1/2 chicken, so if you want to share a dish, this is the dish.  My girls ordered the fish plates and the black cod was amazing and buttery, the side salad...gross.  The red snapper was hardly touched since it was too sweet and the combination didn't go together.  Sadly I don't think I'll be venturing back there...sorry Mr. Waxman.

Barbuto

775 Washington Street

New York, NY 10014

tel: 212.924.9700

-S&B

We had to post this...

NYMag list of New Notable Places to be seen or try...will you be spotted at any of these locations?


Fulton Grand - 441 Grand Ave, Clinton Hill, BK 

Culture Fix - 9 Clinton Street, near Houston

Irish Exit Saloon- 978 Second Ave, near 52nd Street

no pic

Minor Arcana - 706 Washington Ave, Prospect Heights

Night of Joy - 667 Lorimer Street, Williamburg, BK

Theater bar - 114 Franklin Street, near West Broadway

Try them out and write a review for us, email us at SBRunThisCity@gmail.com

-S&B

Cask

Cask Bar+Kitchen recently opened on 33rd between Lexington & 3rd Avenue.  If you live around the neighborhood this is definitely the spot to call you "neighborhood bar."  They have a great bar scene for an after work crowd and an even better party room downstairs.  This is not your typical Murray Hill bar which is so refreshing!  The crowd looked to be 25+ and everyone was dressed well, no frat boy look...sorry.

Starters:

Frommage - White Cheddar, Gorgonzola, & Pepper Crushed Goat    

        

Dinner:

Wild Mushrooms Flatbread - Spinach, Fresh Mozzarella, Parmesan & Truffle Oil

Coriander Crusted Salmon - Crispy Potato Cake & Garlic Sauté Spinach

B's review: The food was great.  The cheese platter was presented very well and came with olives, grapes, jam, & crackers.  I would definitely order the frommage plate again without the gorgonzola cheese - just not a fan.  It's a great way to start the meal.  The mushroom flatbread was amazing! The fresh mozzarella & truffle oil made the dish.  The salmon was good, cooked perfectly & had lots of flavor.  The potato cake tasted like mashed potatoes that had been fried on top...yummy; the spinach = not a fan.  I would definitely go back there.  It was a great place to grab dinner.  It had a great scene, excellent service, & great food options.

Cask Bar+Kitchen
167 East 33rd Street
New York, NY 10016-4641
(212) 300-4924


P.S. they have a Country Style Brunch Saturday & Sunday with homemade muffins & breads, roast sirloin beef and whipped potatoes.


-S&B

Battle for the Best...French Fries

The Spotted Pig

Ratings:

Level of Crispness - 4 out of 5 (these shoe string fries hit the spot)

Oil Amount - 4 out of 5 (just look at the pic)

Flavor - 4 out of 5 (salty & a few garlic chips are thrown in there)

Salt Level - 3 out of 5 (water please)

Presentation / Experience - 2 out of 5 (there's nothing like getting a plate of overflowing fries )

Dips - served naked

Price - 4 out of 5..$7 bucks, it's a lot but look how many fries their are

Definite must if you are craving fries, especially if you are in the West Village & looking for a good bar scene.  Once you taste one you'll find yourself eating the whole plate...watch out!!

-S&B

Save the Date

Tonight Macao Trading Co. is having an open bar...HOOORAY!!! They host a monthly party called Drunken Dragon Night which starts at 9pm.  At 11pm a burlesque cabaret show begins hosted by Calamity Chang.

We'll be there...will you?


Macao Trading Co.
311 Church Street
New York, NY  10013
tel: 212.431.8642


-S&B

Save the Date

Tuesday, August 24th everyone better be here.

Bia Garden

 Happy Birthday Will!! 


Last night we celebrated his birthday at Bia Garden and we definitely had a blast.  This tiny hole in the wall has this great room in the back to host parties.  


When you walk down Orchard you are bound to miss it.  You step down and find yourself at this little counter wondering if you messed up and are at the wrong place...but you aren't!  There is a huge refrigerator door that opens you up into a hall then, up 2 steps and wahla..Bia Garden!!!  They have a very simple concept which makes sense and works, order beer by the 6, 12 or 24 pack! AMAZING for beer lovers.  
  
They also have a great menu.  Being a party of 30 we ordered all the apps plus a few extra things:


Green Papaya Salad
Lemongrass Sausage
Vegetable Summer Rolls
Crab Spring Rolls
Chicken Lollipops
BBQ Lemongrass Beef Short Ribs
Shaking Beef
Ginger Clay Pot Chicken
Veggie Vermicelli Noodles
Grilled Lemon Spicy Chicken


Everything was delicious and we couldn't keep our hands off the rolls & chicken lollipops, yum yum!  To end the night we sang happy birthday with 3 dozen BakedByMelissa cupcakes!!

Veggie Vermicelli Noodles

Bia Garden
154 Orchard Street
New York, NY 10002
tel: 212.780.0100


Happy Birthday Will!! Here's to your 30's...cheers!


-S&B

La Esquina

La Esquina is one of our favorite places to eat. Conveniently located in SoHo La Esquina offers 3 different locations the Taqueria, Cafe, and their secret downstairs location, the Brasserie.

They have so many delicious things at each location but the Brasserie offers the complete menu. Our favorite things are the sopa de tortilla, ceviche acapulco, tostadas contramar, taquitos de pollo rostizado & La Esquina mole negro. They recently acquired a new chef, Akhtar Nawab, and he's added more delicious fish options to the menu, like last night's special Sea Bass wrapped in banana leaf, yum! Sadly our favorite salad was taken off the menu, ensalada de nopales, which is a cactus salad w/jalapeños, onions & cotija cheese. He also fixed the dessert menu, THANK GOD!! He added a mouth watering pastel de chocolate - cafe de olla, it's a must have.

Overall it's a fun experience walking into the Taqueria & being greeted by a bouncer & doorman then walking downstairs in what feels like a storage unit. After walking down the stairs you give your name again to the hosts, walk through the kitchen and wala...the bar!

Spotted @ in the downstairs dungeon: Alicia Keys & John Mayer


Alicia Keys - Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart
John Mayer - Clarity

La Esquina - Must Try, NYC Hot Spot, Fun Experience walking into a the Taqueria.

106 Kenmare Street

New York, NY 10012

-S & B

This Weekend

If you are out east come by Hotel Indigo East End for Taco Tuesday, the Barney's girls will be bartending...so sexy

I wonder if they'll all be wearing Louboutin's & Alexander Wang....hmmm

-S&B

Thrillist Margarita Calendar

Who doesn't love a delicious margarita especially on a warm summer day?  Thrillist developed this awesome calendar with a bunch of amazing places that are participating in the month long fiesta.

Some of our favorite places to sip a margs are:

å Gonzalez Y Gonzalez

å Los Feliz - Every Monday from 5-10pm

å Revel - Sunday thru Friday from 5-7pm

å Toloache - Every Monday night

å Yuca Bar & Restaurant In. - Every Monday 1-8pm

*complete list click here!

Also sign up for Thrillist...it's awesome.

-S&B

Day&Night Party - East Hampton

A summer must...Day&Night Party @ East Hampton Point. Derek and Daniel Koch, the twins, moved their famous day party to the Hamptons for the summer. It's the hottest spot to party during the day.

Everyone in attendance is hot and ready to party. It starts off as a normal brunch place overlooking the water. Everyone is eating their salads, oysters, eggs, etc etc. 3pm comes around and it's a whole different story. The music starts pumping, rose' starts flowing, and champagne bottles are popped.

This past weekend was so much fun. It was Celebrity blogger Micah Jesse and our friend Dani's birthday. We arrived at 4pm after getting lost, ooops! As soon as we walked in the door, W was greeted by DJ Cassidy & Micah who quickly started jumping up & down and blowing his whistle. We gravitated towards Dani's table where we were poured rose' out of a 3/4 empty magnum. After 3 glasses, B accidentally knocked a glass of rose' all over herself, oh well...patron swig right out of the bottle was required to forget about her damp dress. Next...champagne for everyone at the party!!! We sipped on champagne & watched the other tables get crazy. As Stereo Love & Memories were played more champagne was popped and everyone started to dance like crazy. Our friend Dani ordered Cristal to end our brunch party...yum! It was the perfect way to start the day!!!

Definitely recommend going to Day&Night if you're in the Hamptons. Make reservations and get ready to have a blast. GiltCity currently has a kick ass deal, check it out. Read this article if you're still not sure how fun this spot is.

Spotted: Celebrity blogger Micah Jesse and DJ Cassidy

-S&B

RSVP!

NYC Restaurant Week - July 12th - 25th

SM's review of One if by Land, Two if by Sea...

One of our best friend tried this amazing restaurant. We hope you enjoy her review, we did!

A little snip-it about SM: she's a foodie, a social-lite, and chic lady with calendar packed with spectacular events. She never forgets to invite and her smile & laugh will get you in the mood to party. SM's review:

Fighting to get a reservation on OpenTable, I was delighted to get a 9:15pm slot. With prix-fixe normally being $80 per person, restaurant week was a steal. We ordered a bottle of prosecco to kick off the night.

For starters we ordered:

Cucumber Gazpacho w/organic cumin yogurt, mint, dill, cilantro, balsamic

Entrees:

The Hubby - Wild Red Snapper w/kalamata olives, preserved lemon risotto, & herb salad

SM - Homemade Summer Squash Fettuccine w/rustic peperonata sauce, oregano, parmigiano reggiano

Dessert:

The Hubby - Gianduja Mousee w/caramel bananas, banana bread ice cream

SM - Almond Milk Panna Cotta w/sable breton, fresh strawberries, & strawberry sorbet

Off the regular menu we ordered the truffle oil polenta - incredible & he ordered the gruyere pretzel.

Low down: Atmosphere was tres romantic, we had a corner table, the piano was playing beautifully, and our waiter was wonderful. My favorite dish on the menu was the “Famous” Pretzel Bread with Gruyere Cheese. While this place is rated in the top 5 of most romantic in the city; I can't say it would make my top 5. The restaurant is gorgeous, don’t get me wrong, and the food was delicious, but that’s not my idea of most romantic. For me, I’d go with the private dining room at Philippe Marie. Don’t let me sway you from eating there- One if by Land, Two if by Sea is definite must in this city.

Next on the list…Barolo, a West Broadway fav, and The Oak Room at the Plaza.

-S & B

p.s. thanks SM for the fabulous review!

Buy With Me!

A new group power buying company! We love these since they offer everything on the CHEAP!

Check out their deal for today - Bubble Lounge - $25 for $50. mmm Champagne!! This ends in two days - hurry!

Here is your personal referral & sign up!

Now the question is, who wants to buy this and take us out?!

- S&B

NYC Restaurant Week - July 12th - 25th

One of our girls tried hot spot Shang for restaurant week, she wrote this kick ass review. We hope you enjoy!

A little snip-it about BK - She's a nut about restaurant week and usually goes to 3 or 4 restaurants per season and make this nasty (in a good way) Excel spreadsheet that evaluates the menu, regular price of the restaurant, whether they usually have prefix menu, and if it's generally worth it. For example, $35 for a menu full of pasta = not worth it.

Being a huge Top Chef fan, honestly who isn't a Top Chef fan, she was hoping Shang was on there and it was! Susur Lee was a finalist on Top Chef Master. She went with her fabulous roommate & foodie friend. The menu was the following:

Starters:

Salt & Pepper Calamari w/habanero chili dip

Vegetable Spring Roll

Singapore Slaw w/salted plum dressing

Entree:

Top Chef Chicken

Marinated Skirt Steak

Cantonese Wok Fried Pearl Noodles

Sushi Plate (5pcs)

Dessert:

Mango Panna Cotta w/double dark chocolate mousee

Asian Pear

BK's opinion:

The Venue: Very chic. They have beautiful, huge golden lanterns when you walk in. It's a great place to grab a drink by the bar and then order food, which is served family style. There is a terrace outside which is an awesome feature and a great place to catch some fresh air.

The Food: To start, my roommate and I both ordered the slaw, our friend, J, ordered the spring rolls. I know this sounds kind of unimpressive, but I do have to rave about the slaw. The slaw had 19 different ingredients in it and was such an interesting combination of flavors - especially the ginger and some sort of flower petals that complimented the plum sauce nicely. The presentation of it was also beautiful, as it almost looked like a bird's nest full of different ingredients.

For the second course, I ordered the Top Chef chicken (I remember when he made it, it looked so good), while the other 2 ordered the skirt steak. Both had a kick to them and were great, but I think I made the better choice with the chicken. The chicken was complimented by a mint puree (and I usually hate mint, but it was oddly sweet) and curry, and had candied cashews over it with a light sauce. This was definitely the right choice. The flavors went so well together and it was a totally different take on chicken than you normally see. Susur did not disappoint.

Last was dessert. It was tasty, but it is everything you would expect from the description. I have a huge sweet tooth and I found it to be too sweet for my liking, so take what you will from that.

Shang - great food, great atmosphere

-S&B

p.s. thanks BK for the fabulous review!

S's Birthday Party - The Delancey

S's birthday was celebrated at The Delancey roof deck located at 168 Delancey Street, Lower East Side. B picked up S at the nail salon with KL, the three of them took a sketchy black cab down to the LES. As we moved downtown in our town car S's birthday crew was busy putting candles on her mini cupcakes. We pulled up to The Delancey and rushed inside to be greeted by Mumm, Whit, Justinien & ALiu with 36 cupcakes on fire! S quickly made a wish only to be tricked by trick candles...thanks Mumm. We laughed as the candles quickly melted into these tiny cakes only be lite again and again and again.

Shortly after we all indulged in pumpkin, sunshine, & black & white...just right cupcakes we headed to the bar. We quickly learned that they were having a $5.00 BBQ, yum! We had burgers, hot dogs, and potato salad, not bad for $5 bucks. Every Wednesday!

The space is actually great. Since the weather report said there was a 90% chance of precipitation we knew the roof deck idea might fail but luckly The Delancey has a retractable roof. That was fantastic except for the fact that they also had a huge grill on, so the air inside the space was...let's just say smokey, as noted in the photo. The set-up was intimate and it allowed us to stay within our group. We had a great time catching up.

Roof Deck:

Space - good for parties, nice view, LES crew

Music - dead

After we drank upstairs we decided to take our party downstairs to enjoy some A/C. We were greeted by Scooter Pie from Sugar Shack; burlesque dancers that perform ever Wednesday, who knew?! Their show is called "Shaken & Stirred" and we definitely got that impression. Definitely some talented ladies, but we were turned off by the creepy men who thought 2 girls dancing around on a stage was hot. The show started around 10:30. The first girl was tall, pale skin, and thin. She did a cute number which ended with her in her red undies & tassels. The 2nd girl, we won't mention her at all. Loo, S, B, & Justinien had some great laughs as they imagined S showing up to work wearing only tassels on her boobs and making copies...hilarious.

Downstairs:

Space - could be good for parties

Burlesque Show - good idea but let's try to keep the creeps out

Music - Michael Jackson - Don't Stop Til You Get Enough & Little Richard - Tutti Frutti

- S&B

Tanteo Tequila Tasting!

We were invited to the office of Tanteo Tequila for a private tasting. They have a wonderful space located in SoHo. Neil Grosscup, the Operations Director at Tanteo, provided us with the full history of the company and mixed up some amazing cocktails.

Tanteo's line-up of tequilas aren't the usual blanco, reposado, or anejo. Tanteo offers something different - flavor-infused 100% Agave tequilas in "Tropical," "Chocolate," and "Jalapeño." Launched in December 2008 into the New York market by the Tanteo Spirits Company, the trio of infusions has already received awards from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the Beverage Testing Institute, and the World Beverage Competition.

S enjoyed Tanteo's version of the Classic Margarita made with their Jalepeño infused Tequila, while B likes her tequila straight. Bad-Ass.

Our Favs:

TANTEO® JALAPEÑO MARGARITA

~ 2oz. | Tanteo® Jalapeño Tequila

~ 1 oz. | Fresh Lime Juice

~ ¾ oz. | Agave Nectar (or simple syrup)

~ Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice

~ Shake well and pour into a rocks glass (salted rim optional)

~ Garnish with a lime wheel

and

COCOA LEMONADE

~ 1 ½ oz. | Tanteo® Chocolate Tequila

~ 1 oz. | Fresh Lemon Juice

~ ½ oz. | Agave Nectar(or simple syrup)

~ Club Soda

~Add ingredients into an ice-filled Collins glass

~Top with club soda and stir with a bar spoon

~Garnish with a lemon wheel

For those that have been to La Esquina check out Tanteo's signature drink -

PEPINO DIABLO

~2 oz. | Tanteo® Jalapeño Tequila

~1/2 oz. | Fresh Lime Juice

~1/2 oz. | Agave Nectar

~1 oz. | Cucumber Purée (or two slices of muddled cucumber)

~Combine ingredients (muddle if necessary) in a shaker with ice

~Shake well and pour into a rocks glass

~Garnish with a cucumber wheel

- S&B

B's Birthday @ The Lion

Happy Birthday B!

After a 2 hour massage at Bliss B was surprised to find her BFFs waiting at her house with Magnolia cupcakes, Baskin Robbins ice cream cake, and Miss Field's cookies...there goes the diet. B was also surprised by Justinien with reservations at The Lion, she was impressed and quickly asked how he did managed to make ressies at the hottest spot in the city, "Who did you bribe?," his response "I'm fly like that." Cocky...

The Lion reopened May 10th with John DeLucie from Waverly Inn as the chef. They were dropped off by their cab at West 9th and 6th Avenue to find a doorman who quickly asked if they had a reservation and their names. B could not believe he asked who she was...like he didn't already know...geez!

Picture a dark room with warm woods. It has this old library feel and reminded B of playing Clue, no idea why. As they walked in, they sat by the bar and people watched for a moment. The bar is located right next to the kitchen. The aromas emanating from the kitchen were so overwhelming; they began to salivate on cue. As they sat down, B noticed sitting to her right, Steve Nash with two other friends. It was a private affair except for the random patrons that would introduce themselves to Mr. Nash. she was sure they all wished he signed with the Knicks since he does reside in Tribeca.

For starters they ordered Artichoke Fritters, currently she is obsessed with artichokes. They are tiny balls of artichokes mixed with potatoes and baby leeks, she popped a few of these delicious treats into her mouth...yum. Dinner was a hard decision. B chose the Blue Fin Tuna Tartare after her girlfriend W recommended it and Justinien had the Sea Bass, they ran out of the halibut :-(. Perfect piece of fish and Justinien got upset when B put her fork on his fish and took a massive bite, well to B it was little nibble.

They opted for no dessert since B had a dozen cupcakes at home and whole ice cream cake.

The Lion - trendy, hot spot, perfect date spot, $$$$, scene

Dress - to impress

New York Times - Hot Spot

Urban Daddy

Esquire - Must Go

-S&B