She makes the BEST spaghetti and meatballs.  We cooked at home this evening because we were running around all weekend and she outdid herself.  Amazing.  If you’re coming over, request them!

One another note, it was awesome seeing family and friends this weekend.  Happy 7th bday, Iz!!!!

This past weekend, I spent most of my daylight hours couped up by my computer working on quite a few things for the office.  On Saturday, we had evening plans so I decided to stay local and find a cafe to work from to draw inspiration.  Sherri and Baby Jenkins went out with the girls so I had a free afternoon.

Sherri and I have dinner every now and then in Dobbs Ferry and each time we go, we always see restaurants/stores that we’d love to go back to… but it never happens.

Well, it did happen and I spent Saturday afternoon at the newly opened Bo Cafe.  It’s fairly tucked away amidst the main road of shops but once inside, it’s a fairly modern looking cafe.  It reminded me of some of the cafes in Zurich (Switzerland) that I had visited in 2005/2007.  I had just played tennis with my buddy Adam so I wanted to eat something relatively healthy and had a sandwich and coffee.  The coffee is fairly strong and dark but if you enjoy Starbucks, you’ll probably be a fan.

They have free Wifi and the staff was extremely friendly and while they let me do my work alone, they engaged in conversation were more than happy to speak when I took a few moments break.  There were about 8-10 tables in the place and probably don’t hold many people, so finding a table during busy times may be difficult.  They serve brunch and lunch, as well, as dinner and after dinner drinks – they have a liquor license and serve wine/beer.  One of the waitresses told me that they have live jazz on Friday nights… could be a nice change of pace here in Westchester.

All in all, I was extremely impressed with the place.  They even have homemade gelato that looked amazing.   I may or may not have had a taste of their Rocher Bois gelato :)

19 Cedar Street, Dobbs Ferry is the address / 914-231-9130

Westchester needs more cafes like this. LoHud has a review they just penned on the establishment as well.

Friday night we celebrated Darren’s grandpa’s birthday at Pascal’s on Chatsworth Avenue in Larchmont.  I had never been there before but this pleasant and homey French bistro was a very nice choice for the celebration.  The menu has an array of seafood, meat and fish to choose from and all are prepared with a French influence.  The service was okay although the kitchen didn’t quite get the timing right on all the dishes and some food arrived at the table well before others.  Everything though was very hot and presented nicely.  We were a fairly large party so its hard to judge if that was just because of our size or if the kitchen didn’t have their act together.

I started with the split pea soup and it was very flavorful.  I particularly enjoyed the soup since it was prepared without cream, therefore making it lighter.  I could really taste the freshness of the peas.  For my main dish, I ordered the tilapia with mixed vegetables and mashed potatoes.  The fish was light and flaky and a nice size piece.  Everyone at the table had something different and everyone seemed to enjoy their meal although Darren did find his chicken to be a tad dry.  For dessert, Darren and I split the profiteroles which are our favorites.  Can’t say we were disappointed….we finished every last bite.   The pricing at the restaurant is quite good with daily two-course or three-course specials with a wide variety to choose from.  You really can’t go wrong with choosing from there and you can’t beat the price.  Friday night it was $30 for an appetizer and entree and mid-week I think its even lower – that is very good, especially for the quality.  The only thing to be aware of before you try this restaurant is that the crowd is older – more of a grandparent’s crowd although there were some younger folks there as well.

Last night for our final night in North Carolina we opted to go out to eat.  Dining out in the northern part of the Outer Banks is a bit of a challenge.  Restaurants either don’t take reservations and thus have endless lines and a long waiting time for a table or there is very high-end fine dining that can rack up a pretty hefty tab.  We opted to go early and give Sunset Grille in Duck a try.  We heard from a few locals that the restaurant was good so we figured let’s see what it was all about.  We arrived around 6pm and were very fortunate to get a table.  From the looks of the parking lot the place looked full but the parking lot is just on the small side for the restaurant.  We sat at a table outside overlooking the water and had a view of the pier.  The menu is a mix of fresh fish, seafood, chicken and steaks all relatively moderately priced given the location.  We started with drinks and some appetizers that we shared.  Nothing overly stood out – the calamari was average, the clams were fair and the fried conch fritters that Darren was craving were just okay as well.  We all had different entrees – stuffed cajun shrimp, grilled mahi mahi and tuna.  Portions were generous but in terms of quality all of the dishes were pretty decent but compared to restaurants up north they couldn’t really hold a candle.   Overall, we would give the restaurant a 7 – it was a slightly above average meal with a spectacular view that helps give it some added points.  If you are in the area and are looking for a great view and some decent fare, stop in.  You won’t be running back necessarily every night but you won’t be disappointed either.

It was a real scorcher here today, temperatures hit 100 inland and similar heat and humidity steamed up the beach. We sat by the pool for a few hours this morning but the heat of the day really got to us and by late morning Darren and I had enough. Since it was lunch time we decided to head out for some delicious North Carolina bbq. Yesterday on our adventure exploring we discovered a small little bbq ’shack’ on the grounds of the Corolla Lighthouse. This small shack which is more like a food stand serves fabulous sandwiches and plates for lunch including chicken, ribs and pulled pork – all prepared North Carolina style. We ordered two tasty sandwiches, some drinks and settled under a tree at a picnic table where we were both in heaven. We both enjoy good barbecue and the last time we were down in North Carolina for our furniture shopping expedition we had our best barbecue meal ever. We are definitely going to venture out again one day in hopes of finding another hidden barbecue gem. After our lunch we ran a few errands and then headed inside as some major thunderstorms were approaching. Fortunate for us the heaviest rains and tornadoes were more inland but it did put a damper on our plans for a walk on the beach. Oh well….there is always tomorrow.

Wednesday evening Darren and I joined a business colleague of his and his wife for dinner at Blue Ribbon Bakery on Downing Street. Darren recently discovered this restaurant which is part of the Blue Ribbon family of restaurants located in downtown Manhattan. He has been raving about it, especially the desserts, in particular the profiteroles. This charming restaurant serves up an array of american cuisine with a huge selection of hot and cold appetizers, salads and entrees. The atmosphere is charming with two floors on which to dine on. The main floor has a small rustic bar area and the dining area is a combination of booths and tables all of which are very close together. The lower level has two smaller nooks all in old stone and several tables in each. Reservations are only taken for parties of 5 or more so be prepared to wait if you go at the height of dinner time especially on a weekend. Fortunately for us, we were there on a Wednesday evening so we only had to wait a few minutes for a table.

Our meal started out with a medley of warm fresh bread on the table while we glanced at the menu. Since Darren raved about the desserts we made sure we ordered appropriately so we would have room to sample their sweets. I ordered the vegetable plate with saffron rice since smaller yet more frequent meals are starting to become the norm for me. Darren ordered the halibut special which was a breaded piece of fish over cous cous which he said was outrageous. The others also tried the halibut and the house recommendation of the barbecue shrimp which is a signature dish. Everyone loved what they had. Portions were very generous and moderately priced for Manhattan. For dessert we ordered the profiteroles which are Darren’s favorite. Three huge profiteroles prepared with vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream topped with a rich dark chocolate sauce. They were spectacular!

Overall, I give Blue Ribbon bakery high marks. Service was excellent as was the food. I will definitely go back again and I know Darren will probably be there again next week for lunch as its his new favorite place.

Saturday night we felt like having some greek food so we headed over ti Nikos Greek Taverna on Central Avenue in White Plains.  We were there about a year ago and enjoyed our meal so we figured we’d go back.  The sun just came out again after some strong storms so we opted to eat outside.  The temperature cooled a bit and the clouds gave way to some blue sky so we enjoyed dining al fresco.  The restaurant was packed.  Inside not a table was available and it was lively.  Outside was filling up quickly too as people just kept coming.  Greek music was playing and despite literally being on Central Avenue it felt a little like Greece. 

The menu has all the usual greek dishes: spinach pie, stuffed grape leaves, greek salads, taramasalata, tsatsiki, gyros, lamb, etc…   Darren and I each had a salad which was fresh and filled with tomatos, onions, grape leaves and olives.  For our main dishes, I had  stuffed peppers with roasted potatoes in lemon and herbs.  Darren had the chicken gyro.  Both are traditional dishes and were cooked perfectly.  The portions are huge so bring your appetite if you go.  The host and hostess are very friendly and welcome their customers with open arms.  Prices are very moderate and the food is excellent.  If you like Greek food, give it a try.  I think you will enjoy it.   And if you really like Greek music, head over late on a Friday night when its Bouzouki Night from 10pm to 2am. 

Last night a few of my girlfriends and I gathered at City Crab on Park Avenue South for dinner.  It was humid stormy Monday night so it was no surprise that the restaurant wasn’t very crowded.  I was first to arrived so I waited at the bar and had a ‘virgin’ mary which was made to perfection – spicy with the perfect blend of horseradish, tobasco and pepper.  Had I been able to have it with alcohol it really would have been amazing.  Shari joined next and we ordered the artichoke dip with maryland crab and baby shrimp while we waited.  A generous portion with fresh chips arrived and were perfect to munch on although I found the dip to be somewhat bland.  I thought it would have had more zest.  When everyone arrived we moved to out table upstairs.  The area was relatively quiet so we were able to talk and catch up.  The menu at City Crab has everything you would think of – maryland blue crabs, crab cakes, shrimp, fish, lobster and even a variety of steaks.  I ordered the Maine Lobster Cobb Salad while the girls all had a variety of shrimp dishes.  My salad was a mix of fresh lobster, shrimp and crab with egg, avocado and artichokes over mixed greens.  It was a generous portion although I could have done without the many shells from the shrimp that somehow made their way into the salad.  The shrimp dishes each came with a choice of potato or vegetable on the side so there was no need to order extra sides.  The portions were moderate but I thought they should have been a little bigger.  We finished off the meal by splitting a fabulous warm, chocolate brownie sundae which was heavanly.  I thought it was the best part of the meal and anyone who knows me, knows I’m not much of a desser t person but this was really good. 

Overall, I’d say the restaurant was just ‘okay’.  I’ve certainly have had better seafood but the prices were relatively fair although a little high given thequality was lacking a bit.  Better fish and seafood can be found elsewhere but if you are in the area and want a casual seafood place that won’t put you in the poor house, you might want to stop in.   

Last night was one of those picture perfect evenings in Manhattan.  Low humidity and comfortable temperatures drew crowds of people to all of the great outdoor restaurants and rooftop bars across the city.  It was such a perfect night, that I met up with one of my closest friends for dinner at the Bryant Park Cafe.  Surprisingly we didn’t need to wait long for a table but the bar area was packed as you would expect. 

I’ve been coming to Bryant Park for years and it is always a midtown hotspot.  With the great outdoor patio restaurant which is more moderately priced than the upstairs grill, it is the perfect place to catch up with friends while enjoying a few drinks and some great eats.  Aside from the cafe which serves salads, burgers and other lite fare, you can always bring your own treats and find a small table in the park to sit and enjoy a beautiful day or evening.  On Monday’s there is the Bryant Park Summer Film Festival which shows movie classics beginning at 5pm.  Thursday’s from 12:30-1:30pm the park hosts some of Broadway’s top hits to dazzle the crowd with singing and dancing.  And on Friday mornings, Good Morning America broadcasts their Concert Series from the park. 

If you are in the midtown area on a beautiful day, you should definitely take advantage of Bryant Park.  With so much to offer, it is a great spot to take a break from the hustle and bustle of your day to enjoy some fresh air and perhaps an ice cream cone or a popsicle.   Summer only last a few months so take advantage of the outdoors when you can.