All You Can Eat Pasta?

At Becco, it works.

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Scott and I went to the new Broadway Hit, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.  We planned to have dinner after, and I was craving Italian.  I suggested the massive chain restaurant at the top part of Time Square craving the bread sticks and all you can eat salad, but Scott suggested we have dinner at Lidia Bastianich’s restaurant, Becco instead.

Becco is a massive space, steps from Times Square and conveniently located in the Theater District at 355 W. 46th street.  There are at least three dining rooms that I could tell.  Although pretty busy, we were able to get seated without a reservation – probably because our show started at 7 PM instead of 8 PM and we were let out early.

Becco has a nice selection of wines, including an impressive list of wines that were all priced at $25 a bottle.  This was a nice surprise so we ordered a bottle to share although it was a Tuesday night!  Next, we decided to start with an order of burrata, which is Scott’s favorite and oh-so delicious.

Looking around us, there were happy patrons with all types of dishes served to them.  Fresh fish dishes, rack of lamb, home made pasta, which is one of their main draws.  Scott and I decided to order the Rack of Lamb, which was cooked perfectly and priced well at $29 as well as the pasta special which includes a choice of cesar salad or antipasti as well as an all you can eat trio of pasta.  That night, there was a fantastic gnocci with a creamy pesto, a delicious fettucine with a veal ragu, and a decent penne with basil marinara for $22.95.  This is all served table side and all you can eat.

Rack of Lamb

All you can eat pasta trio

Scott (who is one of my favorite eating partners of all time) and I were gluttons that night.  We finished off practically everything and even had seconds of the fettucine with veal ragu.  So while the all you can eat is definitely the draw of this place, if you’re a local wanting to stay away from the average American tourist who loves to eat a lot, or the post-theater crowd, then Becco is probably not for you.  For me, this sure beat the chain restaurant I had suggested earlier.

You Went to School to Learn, Girl….

Michael Jackson sang it best… “ABC…all about love dear.”

And love it is… I am in love with ABC Kitchen.

This restaurant is a cool, Jean Georges place, located on an obscure block north of Union Square, near ABC Carpet and Home.

A friend recommended this place to me and said it was one of her favorites in the City… ever.

I was told it was practically impossible to get a reservation. I had some luck though…  I called the week before and took an 11 pm seating on a Saturday night.  Not a big deal though, since my group and I were planning to see La Cage Aux Folles on Broadway first.

My party of four walked in on time for our reservation.  The place was dimly lit, almost glowing, with lots of seating at the bar and a cute dining room.  It was sort of a sweet romantic vibe and I leaned in to give my guy a kiss.

The only downside of an 11 pm reservation in NYC is that you don’t want to eat too much that late before going to bed.  Nevertheless, my group and I were able to order some yummy dishes from their seasonal menu to share (although we skipped on appetizers).

I plan to go back to ABC Kitchen again.  This place has delicious, beautiful food, a great wine list and ambiance.  Beyond that, I just want to try more dishes and sample some of their appetizers and salads.

House Cut Fries; Tomato, Buffalo Mozzarella, and Basil Pizza

 

Pasta with Heirloom Tomatoes

Sea Bass

 

Akaushi Cheeseburger with Herbed Mayo and Pickled Jalapeño

ABC Kitchen

35 W. 18th Street (between bway and S.Park Ave)

I’m not hungry, but I want to eat…

That’s how I feel at the moment.  I miss the smell of it and the taste.  And I miss chewing.  But surprisingly, I’m not that hungry.

I’m on Juice #3 of Day 4.  Yesterday was my first day of all juice and I was pretty miserable yesterday.  It didn’t help that one of the other cleansers in my office and major foodie, (he hangs with Mario, for god’s sake) made me sit in front of the computer with him looking at food web sites and new restaurant openings for an hour.  After that I spent the next hours booking myself for food dates.  Shake Shack on Sunday with B, S and S.  Soon Dobu on Tuesday night with M, S, G, and A.  Chicken Wings at Cercle Rouge with A on Wednesday.   Everyone in the office seemed to have had delicious lunches yesterday… mac and cheese, sushi, Baba Ganoush, and I could smell it!  I’m not sure if it was the cleanse or just because I’m starving but my sense of smell was heightened.  I was pretty miserable.

I was certain I was gonna cave when I went home last night.  But, I excercised will power.  Instead, I drank my Cashew Nut Milk right when I got home (skipped the last green juice yesterday).  I took Sammy out to the park for an hour to spend time with her then went home and had some water.  After that, I went to bed… at 8.  And slept until this morning at 7 AM.  My dreams were crazy last night.  I don’t usually remember my dreams, but I had nightmares, and I woke up feeling sort of upset and sick.  And hungry and dehydrated.

So I had some hot water with lemon.  Drank the cashew nut milk that is for tomorrow night this morning and all of a sudden felt better.   Then I weighed myself and realized I also lost another pound so that’s 4.5 total.

The past few days have been a roller coaster.  It’s Friday now, Day 4 and the other 3 cleansers in my office and I are so happy to be finishing soon.  (Actually, one finished yesterday, one finishes tonight, and 2 of us finish tomorrow)!!   This hasn’t really disrupted my life that much, besides last night when I passed out so early because of lack of energy and I was so hungry.  Besides that, I’ve been able to go out with friends (drink Pellegrino instead of alcohol) and work. No intense exercising though.   I only cheated once with ½ an avocado on Day 2 and the rest of the time I felt pretty satiated.

Other results/side effects that I’ve had:

-          Dry mouth

-          No, um, “movements”

-          Lots of peeing

-          Feeling of utter euphoria

-          Feeling of utter hunger

-          Weight loss

-          Clearer skin

Things I’ve learned this week:

-          Your stomach only carries 1/5 of a cup when empty but can expand to 8 cups!

-          You should poo every time you eat (i.e. if you eat 3 x’s a day, you should go 3 x’s a day)

-          I really like fresh juices

-          There are yummy vegan and raw recipes and I crave these more right now than I do a glass of wine or meat or carbs

I have 1.5 days of juice left but am thinking of spreading these out until Sunday morning.  I have plans to go out with friends the next couple of days and would like to eat with them so am thinking of some light salads or fruit during these meals.

I’ll write a wrap up at the end of the weekend when this is all over.  And of course, after the last colonic

A Craft of Genius

A good friend of mine, and local bay area radio personality, Heather Quarterman , for KKIQ came to visit me last week.  She sent me a list of things she wanted to do over FaceBook while in NYC, including “hit up one of Tom Colicchio’s restaurants, he was just named top chef in America.”

I knew I was already a fan of Colicchio’s, having dined at Gramercy Tavern before.  The hard part was whether I wanted to choose Craft or CraftBar though.  After talking to some friends, I realized that Craftbar was a little more affordable and would also be more fun. While I’m sure Craft is delicious, the clientele appears to be stuffier and a bit older.

CraftBar, to put it simply was an amazing dining experience.  The space wasn’t huge, but it is modernly decorated and was bustling inside.  There were people sitting at the bar and a nice sized dining room with probably 20-25 tables.  We were seated at a table for four and introduced to our waiter, Mark.

This is where the night started off right.  Mark, was wonderful.  Funny and charming, he had great recommendations for us from the start.  My dining companions, A, H, and Heather, are self proclaimed “fun eaters” so dinner could have been like wild Wild West.  No limitations whatsoever.  We asked Mark for suggestions and he gave us a list of recommendations that were in line with our thoughts and our palate.  He suggested some things off the extensive menu that were questionable to some of us, but we went for it anyway.

Overall, the food was amazing – each and every dish and course.  While we did have a 1 or 2 items we were not in love with, there were no complaints about anything.  Below, is a sampling of what we ordered.  I guarantee to order these in this exact order the next time I dine at CraftBar.

Spanish Octopus to Start

Smoked Pig Head Terrine, Mostarda - so freaking delish

Soft shell crab risotto

Triple Pork Delight (can't remember the real name) - Pork Belly, Pork Ravioli, Pork Loin

Lemon Panna Cotta with Kumquat

Homemade coconut sorbet and cookies and cream icecream... yum.

This place is highly, highly recommended by me.  Next time you go here, ask for Mark and tell him I say hi.

Blind Date

Last week, my friend J sent me an email and asked me if I wanted to meet a friend of his, M.  M was supposedly very cool… described as: “funny, very smart, well educated, and has lived in NYC, Chicago, DC and now 4 blocks away from you in SF.”  Awesome, I thought we have a lot in common.  This would be an awesome time to meet new people and friends living in SF, since it seems that every potential love interest I have at the moment lives either across the country, in Germany or in Singapore.  I thought I did my diligence… J sent me a picture of M from an event they went to together sometime last year. M was not excruciatingly good-looking, but he was handsome with dark eyes.  J gave M my email and we exchanged a few pleasantries.  Spur of the moment last night, we decided to meet this morning at my favorite restaurant in the hood, Mission Beach Cafe for brunch.  Well, that’s about all the good stuff you’re going to hear.  If you’re opposed to hearing about me making fun of someone, stop reading now.